HOUSE OF COMMONS

House of Commons Passes

Tom Cox: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, how many ex-hon. Members have been allowed a House of Commons pass; how long an hon. Member must serve to qualify for such a pass; and when this system was last reviewed.

Marion Roe: I have been asked to reply.
	There are currently 117 ex-hon. Members with House of Commons photo identity passes. Ex-hon. Members with 15 years' pensionable service are entitled to apply for a photo identity pass.
	The system was last reviewed at a meeting of the Administration Committee on 27 February 2001 in the context of access to the House by Members of devolved legislatures.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Zimbabwe (NGOs)

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what representations she has made to the Government of Zimbabwe regarding their decision to prohibit non-governmental organisations from operating in Zimbabwe.

Clare Short: No such decision has been communicated to us or to NGOs operating in Zimbabwe. NGOs are providing much needed relief to some of Zimbabwe's most vulnerable people. We would hope that any Government who were serious about the welfare of their people would allow such work to continue.

Older People (Discrimination)

Candy Atherton: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what action her Department has taken to tackle discrimination against older people.

Clare Short: My Department's aim is the elimination of poverty in poorer countries. Discrimination and marginalisation is frequently a cause of poverty. We are seeking to ensure that poor people are consulted on policies and decisions that affect them. We are using participatory methods to understand people's perception of their rights and the obstacles they face in accessing entitlements. By adopting such rights approaches, we are promoting social justice, including tackling discrimination against older people.
	We are supporting the African Union's leadership in promoting and guiding national policies on ageing in their membership, as well as assisting the policy development process in the preparations for the Second World Assembly on Ageing next spring.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Export Licences (Russia)

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many export licences have been issued to (a) Russian companies to the United Kingdom and (b) United Kingdom companies to Russia in the last 12 months.

Nigel Griffiths: Between 9 November 2000 and 9 November 2001, 50 Standard Individual Export Licences (SIELs) and 15 Open Individual Export Licences (OIELs) were issued covering the export of goods and technology to Russia.
	In addition, Russia is a permitted destination on certain Open General Export Licences (OGELs) covering the export of goods on the Military List; copies of all Open General Export Licences are placed in the Library of the House. More information on export licences for Russia can be found in the Government's Annual Reports on Strategic Export Controls (also available in the Library of the House).
	Any export licensing requirement for the export of goods and technology to the UK would be a matter for the authorities in the exporting country. We have no information on export licensing decisions made by the Russian authorities.

3G Licensing Sale

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the impact of the 3G licensing sale conducted by her Department on (a) employment, (b) growth and (c) debt in the United Kingdom telecoms sector.

Douglas Alexander: We believe that the medium and long- term prospects for the UK telecoms sector remain strong. The current down-turn is part of a global phenomenon, not limited to countries in which there have been auctions of third generation mobile licences. UK mobile operators are continuing to work towards launch of third generation services as rapidly as is practicable.

WTO Conference (Doha)

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions she has had with the Scottish Executive with respect to the preparation of the position of the UK Delegation to the 4 World Trade Organisation Ministerial Conference in November in Doha.

Patricia Hewitt: holding answer 15 November 2001
	Regulation of international trade is a reserved matter under the Scotland Act 1998. The Scottish Executive receive invitations to the Whitehall-wide Trade Policy Group, and through this process of information exchange and consultation, the Scottish Executive are involved in trade policy.

WTO Conference (Doha)

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if a representative of the Scottish Executive formed part of the UK Delegation to the fourth World Trade Organisation Ministerial Conference in November in Doha.

Patricia Hewitt: holding answer 15 November 2001
	Regulation of international trade is a reserved matter under the Scotland Act 1998, and there was no representative of the Scottish Executive in the delegation. The DTI is in discussion with the Scottish Executive on a number of issues in line with the agreed Memorandum of Understanding and Concordats.

WTO Conference (Doha)

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps she is taking at the WTO Ministerial meeting in Doha to meet the concerns of the least developed countries.

Patricia Hewitt: holding answer 13 November 2001
	I refer to my Statement to the House on 15 November, reporting on the successful outcome of the WTO Ministerial Conference in Doha.
	As well as launching a development-focused trade round, which we believe offers the best route for the developing world to escape from poverty, the Doha Development Agenda includes a number of measures specifically focused on developing countries, with particular extra benefits in some areas for the least developed countries.
	The WTO Ministerial Conference also agreed a Declaration on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health, which clarifies the action that WTO members can take to secure access to essential medicines during public health crises, and a Decision on Implementation-related Issues and Concerns, which contains many provisions specifically intended to benefit least developed countries.

Fireworks

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to restrict the sale of fireworks to those organising professional fireworks displays; and if she will make a statement.

Patricia Hewitt: holding answer 16 November 2001
	We have no plans to restrict further the sale of fireworks.

Ilisu Dam

Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations she has received on the Ilisu Dam project from the Secretary of State for International Development.

Patricia Hewitt: holding answer 15 November 2001
	I have received no representations on the Ilisu Dam project from my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development. Turkey is not a country where the Department for International Development has a programme.

Ilisu Dam

Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will place in the Library copies of the consultants' reports on the Environmental Impact Assessment report and the Resettlement Action Plan on the Ilisu Dam project.

Patricia Hewitt: holding answer 15 November 2001
	I will place copies of the consultants' reports on the Environmental Impact Assessment Report and the Resettlement Action Plan on the Ilisu Dam project in the Library after showing them to the Turkish Government and the other Export Credit Agencies considering support for the project. The reports will also be placed on ECGD's website.

Ilisu Dam

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent discussions there have been on the Ilisu Dam project; and if he will make a statement.

Patricia Hewitt: Discussions have recently taken place between officials of the Government Departments with an interest in the project (ECGD, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Trade Partners UK and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport) regarding the assessment of both the reports produced by independent consultants on the Environmental Assessment Report (EIAR) and Resettlement Action Plan (RAP) and the comments received from the public and other interest groups. The consultants' reports will be made publicly available in due course. However, Balfour Beatty have now withdrawn from the project.

Consultation Documents

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many consultation documents were issued by her Department from (a) 15 October to 14 January, (b) 15 January to 14 April, (c) 15 April to 14 July and (d) 15 July to 14 October in each year from 1996.

Patricia Hewitt: Since the introduction of the Consultation Code on 1 January 2001, consultation documents have been issued as follows:
	
		
			 Date  Number 
		
		
			 1 January to 14 January 1 
			 15 January to 14 April 23 
			 15 April to 14 July 10 
			 15 July to 14 October 17 
			 15 October to date 2 
		
	
	Records relating to consultations issued before the introduction of the Consultation Code on 1 January 2001 are held not centrally, but by the management unit responsible for the policy area concerned. The information requested in relation to this period could be obtained and collated only at disproportionate cost.

Consignia

Martin Linton: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many Consignia staff are employed at the Nine Elms Royal Mail sorting office; and what plans she has for the future of this sorting office.

Douglas Alexander: As an operational issue, plans for the future of the Nine Elms site are a matter for Consignia.
	Consignia have informed me that some 3,000 staff are employed at the Nine Elms site of which approximately 1,500 are employed on mail processing.

Consignia

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps she has taken to encourage Consignia to make greater use of rail freight for mail deliveries.

Douglas Alexander: This is an operational issue for Consignia.
	I have been informed that the company is currently undertaking a review of its countrywide road, rail and air transport links as part of plans to reshape the entire network to meet the demands for faster, cost effective services in the future.

Consignia

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what proportion of mail was carried by (a) road and (b) rail in each of the last five years.

Douglas Alexander: This is an operational issue for Consignia.
	Consignia has informed me that, for each of the last five years prior to the Hatfield rail disaster in October 2000, 20 per cent. of mail was carried by train, 5 per cent. by air and the remaining 75 per cent. by road; and that figures since October 2000 are not available.

Consumer Councils

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the total costs were for operating (a) the National Consumer Council, and (b) the Scottish Consumer Council in (i) 1996–97, (ii) 1997–98, (iii) 1998–99 and (iv) 1999–2000.

Patricia Hewitt: The total expenditure of the National Consumer Council was, in:
	
		
			 Year £ million 
		
		
			 1996–97 3.306 
			 1997–98 2.976 
			 1998–99 3.029 
			 1999–2000 3.29 
		
	
	This included the expenditure of the SCC which, for the same period, was:
	
		
			 Year  £ 
		
		
			 1996–97 464,993 
			 1997–98 601,168 
			 1998–99 679,365 
			 1999–2000 761,132

Consumer Councils

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the salaries are of (a) the chairman and members of the National Consumer Council, and (b) the chairman and members of the Scottish Consumer Council.

Patricia Hewitt: The chairman and board of the NCC and the SCC are public appointees. The salary of the chairman of the NCC is £30,900 per annum and the salaries of the NCC members are £10,000 per annum. The salary of the chairman of the SCC is £15,450 per annum. The members are unpaid, but receive an attendance allowance of £87 per day.

Consumer Councils

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the salaries are of the chief executive of the (a) National Consumer Council and (b) Scottish Consumer Council.

Patricia Hewitt: The salary of the director or chief executive of the National Consumer Council is given in the annual report. It is currently set at £61,498 per annum. The director of the SCC is an employee of the NCC. The individual salaries of NCC employees are not in the public domain.

Consumer Councils

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement about the role of the Scottish Consumer Council since 1999.

Patricia Hewitt: The role of the Scottish Consumer Council (SCC) (an independent sub-committee of the National Consumer Council (NCC)) is to make all Scottish consumers matter by ensuring that all consumer interests, particularly those of disadvantaged groups, are heard by people who can make a difference in business, the public sector and in Government.

Solicitors' Costs

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the total solicitors' costs to her Department was of the action of the right hon. Member for Tyneside North (Mr. Byers) against Associated Newspapers and Simon and Schuster.

Patricia Hewitt: The total solicitors' bill was £20,385.

Departmental Staff

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many employees of (a) her Department and (b) agencies sponsored by her Department work in (i) London, (ii) areas benefiting from EU Objective 1 status, (iii) areas with Objective 2 status and (iv) other areas.

Alan Johnson: The information is as follows:
	
		
			 Employees in Department Agencies Total 
		
		
			 London 3,529 1,646 5,175 
			 Objective 1 areas 1 219 220 
			 Transitional objective 1 areas 0 6 6 
			 Objective 2 areas 543 1,692 2,235 
			 Transitional objective 2 areas 0 35 35 
			 Other areas 198 651 849

Departmental Publications

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many publications were issued by her Department in each of the last four years.

Patricia Hewitt: The number of publications notified to the Department's Publications Unit during the last four calendar years were:
	1998: 802
	1999: 919
	2000: 967
	2001: 771 (to date).

Aviation Industry

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has (a) to underwrite insurance premiums and (b) to seek suspension of the operation of airline passenger duty following the events of 11 September.

Ruth Kelly: holding answer 16 November 2001
	I have been asked to reply.
	The Government set up a temporary replacement insurance scheme for UK and Isle of Man airlines following the withdrawal of commercial cover for third party liabilities in the wake of the terrorist attacks in the US. The scheme underwrites third party, war and terrorism liabilities above $50 million for the majority of airlines for a commercially based premium, but will waive the premium for airlines that choose to buy $100 million of cover on the commercial insurance market. The scheme was extended for 30 days on the 24 October and will now expire at midnight on the 23 November. If it is clear that adequate commercial insurance has not returned to the market, the scheme will again be renewed.
	The Chancellor reviews all taxes in the context of his pre-Budget and Budget statements.

Bonus Payments

Barbara Follett: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the average increase in the earnings index in the 12 month period to February was as a result of bonus payments; and (a) what proportion of that was due to a growth in the financial sector and (b) what proportion of those bonuses went to (i) men and (ii) women.

Ruth Kelly: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Barbara Follett, dated 19 November 2001
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question about the average increase in the earnings index (15726).
	The rate of growth in the Average Earnings Index for Great Britain in the year to February was 6.8 per cent. Excluding bonus payments, the index showed annual growth of 4.1 per cent. The published "bonus effect" is therefore 2.7 percentage points.
	The Financial Intermediation sector contributed approximately 3.0 percentage points to this effect.
	Information is not available from the Average Earnings Index by sex.

DEFENCE

Alternative Landing Ships Logistic

Mohammad Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made with placing a contract for the additional two alternative landing ships logistics.

Adam Ingram: I am pleased to announce that, further to the announcement made by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence on 26 October last year, Official Report, columns 414–15, the Ministry of Defence has concluded negotiations with BAE Systems Marine and has today placed a contract worth an estimated value of £120 million with the BAE Systems Marine Govan Shipyard on the Clyde to construct two Alternative Landing Ships Logistics. This is in addition to the first two ships in the class which are to be built by Swan Hunter at its Tyneside yard. BAE Systems Marine will build their vessels to Swan's design.
	This represents an important enhancement to our Amphibious Capability, as each ALSL has more than twice the carrying capacity of the ships that they will replace. This significantly increases our specialist amphibious lift capacity. The vessels being built by Swan Hunter are due to enter into service in 2004 and 2005. Work at Govan on the further two vessels should commence later this month with a planned in-service date of 2005.
	This represents positive news for Clyde shipbuilding and should sustain 600 jobs at the Clyde shipyards and 200 other jobs in the region until the planned Type 45 Destroyer construction commences.

Defence Aviation Repair Agency

John Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish the consultant's report recommending the relocation of the fixed wing aircraft repair business of DARA from RAF St. Athan to Cardiff international airport.

Adam Ingram: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave him on 20 July 2001, Official Report, columns 707–08W.

RAF Menwith Hill

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost has been to his Department of the use of MOD police in connection with RAF Menwith Hill since 5 July; and what the preset departmental budget was for this function.

Lewis Moonie: I am withholding the cost of the Ministry of Defence Police (MDP) deployed at RAF Menwith Hill in accordance with Exemption 1 (Defence Security) of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information. The financial arrangements governing the MDP presence at bases made available to the United States visiting forces in the UK, including RAF Menwith Hill, are covered by a Memorandum of Understanding between the UK and US Governments. The costs incurred by Her Majesty's Government for the MDP presence at RAF Menwith Hill are reimbursed by the US Government, except where overtime is occasioned by the activities of protesters, which is a direct cost to the UK.

Missile Trials

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what missile trials involving live firing of missiles have been undertaken by (a) HMS Marlborough, (b) HMS Lancaster and (c) HMS York in the past three years.

Adam Ingram: There have been no specific missile trials involving the named vessels in the past three years. A number of routine practice firings have been undertaken. However it is not our policy to comment on the details of the live firing programme and I am withholding this information in accordance with Exemption 1 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information which relates to Defence, Security and International Relations.

Missile Trials

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what missile trials involving Trident class submarines have taken place in the past three years.

Adam Ingram: One trial has been conducted in the past three years when HMS Vengeance successfully conducted a post-build firing of a Trident missile with an inert warhead.

Departmental Sites (Planning Applications)

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his policy is towards submitting planning applications for his Department's sites the use of which is already subject to a local plan public inquiry.

Lewis Moonie: The Ministry of Defence is obliged to optimise receipts to the Exchequer from the disposal of its surplus estate and adopts strategies which ensure that this objective is achieved while taking full account of local issues and concerns. Planning permission is sought in advance of disposal in order to release the site at the most beneficial value to the taxpayer.
	In some cases where a local plan inquiry is in progress or has been completed it may be necessary to submit a planning application in order to determine development proposals in a reasonable timescale. This course is particularly useful if the principles of development have not been previously challenged at the local plan inquiry.

Defence Estates Disposal Programme

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he has conducted a review this year of Defence Estates' disposal programme; what was the conclusion of that review; and if he will make a statement.

Lewis Moonie: The Defence Estates disposal programme is managed carefully to ensure that the targets set under the Strategic Defence Review (SDR) and subsequent public service agreements are achieved. Best practice and lessons learned from post project reviews help to ensure that our disposal process and procedures are taut and provide best value. The SDR target of £700 million by March 2002 will be achieved and we expect property to make up the majority of the current PSA target of £600 million in asset disposals in the three years to March 2004.

Territorial Army

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment has been made of the capability of the Territorial Army to provide aid to the civil powers.

Lewis Moonie: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence announced to the House on 4 October that, following the attacks on 11 September, we are conducting work designed to ensure that we have the right capabilities in place to deal with international terrorism. The range of options being considered includes how the TA may be used in providing assistance to the civil community in an emergency.

Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made as to the suitability of former civilian aircraft being purchased or leased directly by his Department for conversion to the future strategic tanker aircraft; and if he will make a statement.

Lewis Moonie: holding answer 9 November 2001
	It is intended that the future strategic tanker aircraft will deliver the RAF's air to air refuelling capability from around 2007. Bids for this prospective PFI project were received from two consortiums on 3 July 2001. Potential aircraft solutions include both new and former civilian airliners. We are currently examining the suitability of these options as part of a detailed assessment phase.

Porton Down Volunteers

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many individuals have contacted the Porton Down volunteers helpline since February 1998.

Lewis Moonie: Since February 1998 the helpline has received requests for information relating to 750 individuals.

Porton Down Volunteers

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many officials at the chemical defence establishment, Porton Down, are employed to answer queries in the form of letters and telephone calls by former service personnel about experiments in which they took part.

Lewis Moonie: Currently, two full-time and three part- time members of Porton Down staff work exclusively on volunteer inquiries. Additionally, five other members of staff devote a significant proportion of their time to volunteer issues.

Porton Down Volunteers

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make ex-gratia compensation payments to service volunteers who took part in experiments at the chemical defence establishment, Porton Down, because they believed that they were volunteering for common cold research; and if he will make a statement.

Lewis Moonie: No. Despite in-depth searches of the Ministry of Defence archive, no evidence has been found to substantiate the allegation that volunteers were recruited under the pretext that they were attending Porton Down for common cold research. Indeed, Porton Down has never conducted work on the common cold.

Porton Down Volunteers

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service personnel have visited the chemical defence establishment, Porton Down, to inspect records of their experiments and discuss their test with members of staff since 6 April.

Lewis Moonie: Since 6 April 2001, staff at Dstl Porton Down have hosted visits from seven former Porton Down volunteers.

Porton Down Volunteers

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if the War Pensions Agency is being kept informed of the plans to set up an epidemiological study to explore the health of volunteers who took part in experiments at the chemical defence establishment, Porton Down; and what meetings have taken place between the War Pensions Agency and (a) the Medical Research Council and (b) the Gulf Veterans' Illnesses Unit with regard to this matter.

Lewis Moonie: The War Pensions Agency is aware of the planned research but has not been involved in meetings with the Medical Research Council or the Gulf Veterans' Illnesses Unit on this matter.
	The Agency's core function is delivery of the War Pensions Scheme, with decisions on war pensions claims based on case specific facts, the relevant law and contemporary medical understanding.

Porton Down Volunteers

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many times since 9 April staff at the chemical defence establishment, Porton Down, have supplied information about former volunteers to the War Pensions Agency in response to claims for disablement by such individuals.

Lewis Moonie: Since 9 April 2001, Dstl Porton Down has supplied information relating to 25 individuals following requests for information from the War Pensions Agency.

Porton Down Volunteers

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 11 May 2001, Official Report, columns 415–16W, regarding Porton Down, if his Department's officials conducting the comprehensive survey of the service volunteer programme at the chemical defence establishment, Porton Down, have made a decision on whether to interview (a) former scientists and staff at Porton Down who conducted the experiments and (b) former service personnel who took part in the experiments.

Lewis Moonie: No decision has yet been taken.

Porton Down Volunteers

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if Professor Ian Kennedy will meet representatives of the Operation Antler team of Wiltshire Police as part of his supervision of the comprehensive survey of the service volunteer programme at the chemical defence establishment, Porton Down.

Lewis Moonie: Professor Kennedy is acting in a supervisory and advisory role with respect to the comprehensive survey. It would not ordinarily be part of such a role to have discussions with representatives of a police investigation team, and thus Professor Kennedy has no plans to do so.

Porton Down Volunteers

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 15 October 2001, Official Report, columns 936–37W, regarding Porton Down, if he will place in the Library papers relating to the War Pensions Agency's decision of 19 February.

Lewis Moonie: I am withholding this information under Exemption 2 (Internal discussion and advice) of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

Porton Down Volunteers

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a list of the titles and dates of films held by the chemical and biological defence establishment, Porton Down, which recorded the establishment's trials with the chemical agents CS and CR tear gas in the 1960s and 1970s.

Lewis Moonie: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 9 May 2001, Official Report, column 197W. An attempt to collate a list even of the trials involving the tear gases CS and CR undertaken in the 1960s and 1970s could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Porton Down Volunteers

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in Library a list of the (a) common and (b) chemical names of the eight nerve agents which have been tested on service volunteers at the chemical defence establishment, Porton Down, during the service volunteer programme; and how many service volunteers were tested with each of the nerve agents.

Lewis Moonie: The eight nerve agents known to have been used in trials involving volunteers at Porton Down, together with their common and chemical names, are as follows:
	GA; common name, Tabun; chemical name, O-ethyl N-dimethyl phosphoramidocyanate:
	GB; common name, Sarin; chemical name, O-isopropyl methylphosphonofluoridate:
	GD; common name, Soman; chemical name, O-pinacolyl methylphosphonofluoridate:
	GE; common name, Ethyl sarin; chemical name, O-isopropyl ethylphosphonofluoridate:
	GF; no common name; chemical name, O-cyclohexyl methylphosphonofluoridate:
	VX; no common name; chemical name, O-ethyl- S-[2(diisopropylamino)ethyl] methylphosphonothioate: and radio-labelled versions of GB and VX.
	At present there are no definitive figures detailing the numbers of service volunteers who have been exposed to each of these agents. It is hoped that these details will become apparent during the forthcoming epidemiological study, which is being overseen by the Medical Research Council. It is intended that the results from this study will be published in the open literature.

Porton Down Volunteers

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of the report produced by the chemical defence establishment, Porton Down, in 1972 entitled, The Effect of Wind Speed on the Mitogenic Potency of GB and VX Valpour.

Lewis Moonie: This report is still classified as confidential and contains information which could have a direct bearing on operational effectiveness. I am therefore withholding this information in the interests of national security in accordance with Exemption 1 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

Porton Down Volunteers

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of the report produced by the chemical defence establishment, Porton Down in 1984 entitled, Experience in Man with Nerve Agents with Reference to Generalised Symptoms—A Review and Proposals for Further Experiments.

Lewis Moonie: This report is still classified and contains information which would be of use to a potential aggressor or terrorist. I am therefore withholding this information in the interests of national security in accordance with Exemption 1 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

Far East Prisoners of War

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people were detained in Japanese camps in World War Two as British but have now been ruled as ineligible for compensation because of a lack of a blood link with the United Kingdom.

Lewis Moonie: Precise numbers of people who were detained in Japanese camps in World War Two as British, but have now been ruled as ineligible for payment under the ex-gratia scheme because of a lack of a blood link with the United Kingdom are not available, as records have not been maintained in this form. This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Far East Prisoners of War

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on restrictions placed by Her Majesty's Government on the eligibility for compensation of former British civilian internees in Japanese prisoner-of-war camps.

Lewis Moonie: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 11 July 2001, Official Report, column 517W to the hon. Member for Macclesfield (Mr. Winterton).

Correspondence

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the letter of 24 October from the hon. Member for Buckingham to the Under-Secretary of State, the hon. Member for Kirkcaldy (Dr. Moonie), will be answered.

Lewis Moonie: The Ministry of Defence aims to answer its Ministerial correspondence within 15 working days of receipt in the Department. The hon. Member's letter was received on 30 October and I replied to him on 12 November.

Foot and Mouth

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what lessons learned have been made available to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs based upon the Army's experience of the foot and mouth outbreak.

Lewis Moonie: holding answer 16 November 2001
	The foot and mouth epidemic has been brought under control by the joint efforts of a number of Government Departments and agencies. Throughout the epidemic, there was a constant interchange of information and advice, based on past and present experience, between armed forces personnel and those other agencies and Departments, including DEFRA. The Ministry of Defence is committed to supporting the work of the foot and mouth disease inquiries announced by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 9 August.

Fair Trade Goods

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his Department's policy is in relation to departmental spending for supplies concerning the purchase of Fair Trade goods.

Lewis Moonie: holding answer 16 November 2001
	The supply of food for the armed forces has been contracted out to "3663" and we require them to seek the best price in the open market, consistent with meeting our quality standard; indeed to do otherwise would contravene European law. In the case of Fair Trade products, it is my Department's policy to require the contractor to give full consideration to such goods whenever they meet these criteria.

Naval Hospital, Gibraltar

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has in relation to the naval hospital in Gibraltar.

Lewis Moonie: At present the naval hospital is a unit of the Defence Care Agency. Existing plans for replacing the hospital with a new-build facility have been under review by the Agency to assess, among other things, whether there might be scope for improved integration with the primary care facilities at Gibraltar. We expect ownership of the hospital to change in line with the recommendation by the Medical Quinquennial Review (MQR). I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by the Under-Secretary of State for Defence my hon. Friend the Member for Kirkcaldy (Dr. Moonie), on 17 October 2001, Official Report, column 1224W to the hon. Member for Great Yarmouth (Mr. Wright). It was noted in the summary of emerging findings of the MQR that responsibility for the management and funding of all medical functions, including secondary care, in Cyprus and Gibraltar should be vested in the respective overseas commands. Consequently the studies into a replacement for the existing hospital will now be taken forward by the Permanent Joint Headquarters.

Exercise Saif Sareea 2

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the causes of breakdown in armoured vehicles on exercise Saif Sareea 2; when such breakdowns had been anticipated in advance by (a) his Department and (b) service staff; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: Detailed information on the causes of the limited number of breakdowns among the 395 armoured vehicles deployed during the six weeks of Exercise Saif Sareea 2 has not yet been collated but should be available early next year as part of our standard post-deployment assessment. Providing the information at this stage would incur a disproportionate cost.
	We did not anticipate any specific causes of breakdown for individual armoured vehicles types although some unplanned maintenance was inevitable given the challenging environment.
	Overall the armoured vehicle fleet deployed on Exercise Saif Sareea 2 performed very effectively. The experience gained from the exercise will provide valuable lessons for future deployments.

Sovereign Bases (Equal Opportunities Legislation)

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  pursuant to his answer of 8 November 2001, Official Report, column 380W, on the application of the Race Relations Act 1976 to service personnel, if he will list the overseas military bases where the Race Relations Act 1976 and the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 do not apply to service personnel working wholly there;
	(2)  pursuant to his answer of 8 November 2001, Official Report, column 380W, on the application of the Race Relations Act 1976 to service personnel, what plans he has to amend sections 75(2)(c) and 75(10)(a) of the Race Relations Act 1976 to ensure that service personnel asked to serve on sovereign bases outside the European Union are protected by the Race Relations Act 1976;
	(3)  what assessment his Department made of Article 6(1) and Article 14 of the Human Rights Act 1998 in relation to the case of Surinder Nath Saggar of Brompton on Swale, North Yorkshire.

Adam Ingram: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave on 26 October 2001, Official Report, column 404W. I hope that I will be in a position to write to the right hon. Member with a full substantive reply shortly, and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Defence Medical Services

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the personnel operational and retained task requirement for each medical specialty within the Defence Medical Services, indicating the current strength in each specialty.

Lewis Moonie: holding answer 16 November 2001
	The operational and retained task requirement for each medical specialty within the Defence Medical Services and the strength in each as at 1 October 2001 are shown in the tables:
	
		Consultants
		
			 Specialty Operational and retained task requirement(1) Trained consultants in specialty(1),(2) Specialists undergoing training(3) 
		
		
			 Anaesthetists 120 26 63 
			 General medicine 51 18 27 
			 Paediatricians 5 2 1 
			 Neurologists 1 0 0 
			 General surgeons 44 16 52 
			 Obstetricians and gynaecologist 3 0 1 
			 Urologists 2 1 1 
			 Orthopaedic surgeons 28 10 21 
			 Burns and plastic surgery 11 3 5 
			 Accident and emergency 23 3 20 
			 Psychiatrists 31 11 11 
			 Ophthalmic surgeons 10 3 8 
			 Oral maxillofacial surgeons 10 8 8 
			 Ear, nose and throat 10 3 8 
			 Rheumatology and rehabilitation 6 6 3 
			 Radiologists 11 8 3 
			 Pathologists 18 7 1 
			 Aviation medicine 2 1 2 
			 Occupational medicine 50 8 24 
			 Public health 2 8 3 
		
	
	
		General medical practitioners
		
			 Specialty  
		
		
			 Operational and retained task requirement(1) 398 
			 Vocationally trained GMPs(1) 160 
			 GMPs undergoing vocational training(4) 73 
			 No vocational training(5) 186 
		
	
	(1) Command and staff posts are excluded from the Operational and Retained Task Requirement and trained manpower figures.
	(2) In addition to the figures shown there were five Associate Specialist anaesthetists and one Staff Grade general surgeon who would be deployable under the supervision of a consultant.
	(3) The figures provided comprise Specialist Registrars and Senior House Officers. Specialist Registrars within two years of accreditation are deployable within their specialty under the supervision of a consultant while all others are deployable as general duties medical officers.
	(4) GP Vocational Trainees are deployable as general duties medical officers.
	(5) This figure comprises medical officers who have yet to start training in a primary or secondary care discipline or who qualified prior to the introduction of GP vocational training.

Afghanistan

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his estimate is of the number of Afghan civilians killed as a result of allied coalition use of bombs and missiles since military action began; and if he will publish the total of civilians killed in Afghanistan as a result of allied forces for each day until military action ends.

Adam Ingram: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer which my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence gave on 9 November 2001, Official Report, column 432W, to my hon. Friend the Member for Islington, North (Jeremy Corbyn).

Afghanistan

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what guidance has been provided to the (a) print and (b) broadcast media in respect of the (i) publication and (ii) broadcast of details of the activities of (A) British armed forces and (B) the SAS since military activities started in Afghanistan.

Geoff Hoon: Guidance to the media on areas where public disclosure could damage UK security and other interests is set out in standing Defence Advisory Notices. These are established by the Defence Press and Broadcasting Advisory Committee (DPBAC) which consists of representatives from Government and the media. The Committee's main task is to oversee a voluntary code which operates between Departments who have responsibility for national security and the media. Further information is set out in the DPBAC website www.dnotice.org.uk.
	Since the terrorists attacks of 11 September, the Secretary of the DPBAC has written twice to editors, enlarging on the general advice in the standing Defence Advisory Notices and reminding them to consult him if considering publication of details which might endanger lives and/or operations.

Afghanistan

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what languages were used for the labelling of (a) cluster bombs, (b) food parcels and (c) leaflets dropped in Afghanistan;
	(2)  what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the labelling on (a) cluster bombs, (b) food parcels and (c) leaflets dropped in Afghanistan with reference to the literacy rate among the Afghan population.

Adam Ingram: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of the letter in the Library of the House.

MOD Police Vehicles

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the purchasing policy of the MOD police on UK-built vehicles is; how many MOD police vehicles are operated; and what makes of vehicles are used by the MOD police.

Lewis Moonie: The Defence Procurement Agency purchases vehicles for the Ministry of Defence (MOD) Police, on a best value for money basis, looking at whole life cycle costings, through competition. As at 13 November 2001 the MOD Police are currently operating 520 vehicles from various manufacturers, as shown in the table:
	
		
			 Vehicles Number 
		
		
			 Citroen 105 
			 Daihatsu 2 
			 Ford 183 
			 Glover 4 
			 Honda 30 
			 Isuzu 7 
			 Iveco 7 
			 Landrover 46 
			 Long distance vehicles 1 
			 Leyland 3 
			 Mercedes 5 
			 Mitsubishi 1 
			 Nissan 23 
			 Renault 40 
			 Rover 1 
			 Subaru 46 
			 Toyota 1 
			 Vauxhall 15

NBC Warfare

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what liaison takes place between his Department and the NHS regarding preparations for nuclear, biological and chemical attack.

Lewis Moonie: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 24 October 2001, Official Report, columns 239–40W, to the hon. Member for New Forest, West (Mr. Swayne).

Defence Academy

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  if he will list the names and appointments held by the board selecting the head of the Defence Academy;
	(2)  what the (a) salary and (b) budget of the head of the Defence Academy is;
	(3)  how many candidates were interviewed for the post of head of the Defence Academy;
	(4)  if the head of Defence Academy was an internal Ministry of Defence appointment;
	(5)  who has been appointed as head of the Defence Academy.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 16 November 2001
	The head of the Defence Academy, Sir Roger Jackling, was appointed on the recommendation of the Chief of the Defence Staff and the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Defence, fully supported by the chiefs of staff who had previously considered a number of military candidates in the Senior Appointments Committee. The recommendation was accepted by the Secretary of State for Defence and subsequently reported to the Cabinet Office Senior Appointments Selection Committee.
	Defence Ministers had previously decided that, in the overall context of Defence training, the first head of the Defence Academy should be either a senior military officer or a MOD civil servant. Since all of the candidates for consideration were internal and their suitability was well recognised within the MOD, no interviews were held.
	Sir Roger Jackling, presently the second permanent secretary of the Ministry of Defence, will take up this appointment in January 2002. Sir Roger will be paid within the band of £100,000 to £110,000 in the appropriate salary range for civil service appointments at this level. The head of the Defence Academy's budget will be established with effect from 1 April 2002. The precise size of the budget has yet to be determined but it is expected to be in the region of £90 million.

Low Flying

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the next review of warplane low-flying practice zones covering North York Moors and East Cleveland area will be held.

Lewis Moonie: Military Low Flying takes place within a number of Low Flying Areas (LFAs) which together form the UK Low Flying System (UKLFS). The UKLFS is kept under regular review and this work is supported by a rolling programme of detailed inspections on the ground. LFA 11, within which my hon. Friend's constituency lies, will be inspected next year as part of this programme.

Vaccines Research Programme

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the total cost to date of research conducted by (a) his Department and (b) consultants on behalf of his Department, into the health effects of the multiple immunisations programme implemented for service personnel and medical auxiliaries who served in the Gulf War; and what resources are allocated for future research.

Lewis Moonie: As at 14 November 2001, £3,045,188 (including VAT) had been spent by the Ministry of Defence on the Vaccines Interactions Research programme being undertaken by the Defence Scientific Technology Laboratory (Dstl), Porton Down. Of this, £366,152 (including VAT) was in respect of work completed on behalf of Dstl by non-Ministry of Defence bodies. MOD anticipates that at least a further £1,566,100 (including VAT) will be required to complete the Interactions research programme.

Battlefield Surveillance Capability

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when Thales Sensors enhanced battlefield surveillance capability will be operational; and if he will make a statement.

Lewis Moonie: Our battlefield surveillance capability has a number of different elements. Assuming the hon. Member's question refers to the Interim Non- Communications Electronic Support Measures system (INCE), for which Thales Sensors were recently awarded the contract, the planned in-service date is December 2002. INCE will provide land commanders with an air-portable system for rapid interception, direction finding and position fixing of opponents' transmissions, primarily targeting radar systems.

Princess Mary Hospital Site, RAF Halton

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many homes Defence Estates was seeking permission to build on the site of the Princess Mary hospital, RAF Halton, in (a) its evidence to the public inquiry into the Aylesbury Vale local plan, and (b) its recent planning application to Aylesbury Vale district council; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  who authorised the planning application to Aylesbury Vale district council for the Princess Mary hospital site, RAF Halton;
	(3)  by whom (a) his Department and (b) its agents were legally represented at the public inquiry into the Aylesbury Vale local plan; what was the cost of such legal representation; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  when (a) his Department and (b) its agents decided to submit a planning application to Aylesbury Vale district council for the redevelopment of the Princess Mary hospital site, RAF Halton;
	(5)  when his officials last met (a) Wendover parish council, (b) Halton parish council and (c) the Wendover Society to discuss the future of the Princess Mary hospital site, RAF Halton;
	(6)  for what reasons Defence Estates has submitted a planning application for the site of the Princess Mary hospital, Halton, before the outcome of the public inquiry into the Aylesbury Vale local plan is known;
	(7)  what has been the cost to date to (a) his Department, (b) Defence Estates, (c) their agents and (d) representatives of (i) preparing and (ii) making representations to the public inquiry into the Aylesbury Vale local plan;
	(8)  if he will place in the Library a copy of the evidence about the future of RAF Halton submitted by his Department to the public inquiry into the Aylesbury Vale draft local plan;
	(9)  when he notified (a) Aylesbury Vale district council, (b) Halton parish council, (c) Wendover parish council and (d) Buckinghamshire county council of the decision of Defence Estates to submit a planning application for the Princess Mary hospital site, RAF Halton.

Lewis Moonie: It is the Ministry of Defence's normal practice to sell surplus property with the benefit of outline planning permission, or a development brief.
	The original decision to submit a planning application for this site was made by the Defence Estates agency during 1997 in consultation with our planning consultants GVA Grimley.
	In June 1997 a proposal for the development of up to 500 dwellings was submitted to the pre-deposit consultation for the Aylesbury Vale local plan. As part of our consultations for the current planning application discussions took place with Buckinghamshire county council concerning the traffic impact assessment and similarly consultations took place with Aylesbury Vale district council concerning the environmental statement which accompanies the application.
	In evidence to the public inquiry into the Aylesbury Vale local plan, the Department suggested that the site might be suitable for at least 330 dwellings.
	GVA Grimley represented MOD at the Aylesbury Vale local plan public inquiry. The direct costs of this amounted to some £67,500. The proof of evidence submitted on the Department's behalf at the public inquiry is available for public inspection at Aylesbury Vale district council.
	I understand that the local plan in question is not expected to be adopted by the district council until November/December 2003. However, the Department is required under Government accounting rules to dispose of surplus sites as quickly as possible. So, Defence Estates authorised the current planning application (under the Department of Environment 18/84 procedure) for 480 dwellings, to facilitate marketing during 2002.
	So far as liaison with the local community is concerned, the Officer Commanding the Administration Wing at RAF Halton has regular meetings with Halton parish council. The Wendover Society inspected the Princess Mary hospital site during the public inquiry into the Aylesbury Vale local plan in 2000.

CHURCH COMMISSIONERS

Benefice Glebe

Adrian Sanders: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners, when a list of landholdings specified in the legislation transferring parish glebe land to the Church of England dioceses was (a) compiled and (b) published; and where a copy can be viewed.

Stuart Bell: The obligation to produce lists of benefice glebe was fulfilled by all dioceses by 31 July 1978. They were not published as there was no legal requirement to do so. The hon. Gentleman is welcome to inspect the Commissioners' copies at their offices.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Wembley

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what measures Sport England will take to retrieve money given to the Wembley project.

Richard Caborn: It is for Sport England to decide whether to initiate action to recover the lottery grant invested in the Wembley project. Patrick Carter is currently holding discussions with the Football Association and Sport England to find a mutually acceptable basis for moving the project forward.

Royal Parks Constabulary

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what is the legal basis of the power of arrest of officers in the Royal Parks Constabulary.

Kim Howells: Responsibility for the subject of this question has been delegated to the Royal Parks Agency and I have asked its Chief Executive, William Weston, to reply.
	Letter from William Weston to Peter Bottomley, dated 19 November 2001
	I have been asked by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport to reply to your Parliamentary Question about where the powers of arrest of the Royal Parks Constabulary derive from, because this is an operational matter which is the responsibility of the Royal Parks Agency.
	The Royal Parks Constabulary originated as park-keepers appointed to maintain order in the Royal Parks. The position of park-keeper was replaced with that of Park Constable with the passing of the Parks Regulation (Amendment) Act 1974, which amended the Parks Regulation Act 1872. Section 7 of the 1872 Act (as amended) gives Park Constables the same powers, privileges and immunities and makes them liable to the same duties and responsibilities, as any police constable in the police district within which the park is located. Park Constables therefore have the same powers of arrest within the parks where they operate as do ordinary police constables in the surrounding police district. These powers of arrest derive from the common law, the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 and many other statutes.

National Lottery

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much money is held in the national lottery distribution fund which is not committed to projects; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: Currently £264 million held in the national lottery distribution fund (NLDF) is not committed to specific projects. This figure represents 8 per cent. of the current NLDF balance. Lottery distributing bodies have forecast that the balance will reduce considerably over the next three years and the Government attach high priority to ensuring that happens.

All-seater Football Stadiums

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will consider relaxing regulations requiring football stadiums to be all-seated.

Richard Caborn: The Government believe that the present requirement for Premier League and First Division football grounds to be all-seater is still necessary for reasons of safety and public order. This policy will remain in place unless or until new technical evidence becomes available which convincingly demonstrates that it is no longer needed.

Gambling Machines

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations she has received concerning the proposals to remove gambling machines from non-profit-making members' clubs.

Richard Caborn: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave on 5 November 2001 to a question from the hon. Member for Edinburgh, West (John Barrett), Official Report, column 14.

Gambling Review

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations she has received on the recommendations of the Gambling Review Body.

Richard Caborn: We have received over 2,200 comments on the report of the Gambling Review Body. We are giving them careful consideration, and intend to announce our conclusions early next year.

New Opportunities Fund (Middlesbrough)

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on the number and social background of beneficiaries from the new opportunities fund in Middlesbrough South and Cleveland, East.

Richard Caborn: Information is not available in the form requested. I will, however, write to my hon. Friend with details of awards made by the new opportunities fund, which are of direct benefit to his constituents.

World Athletics Championships

Tim Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which (a) Ministers and (b) officials from (i) her Department and (ii) other Departments attended the 2001 World Athletics Championships in Edmonton on an official visit; and what were the (a) dates and (b) purpose of such visits.

Richard Caborn: As Minister of Sport, I attended the World Athletics Championships in Edmonton accompanied by my Private Secretary, two other DCMS officials, and an official from the British Consulate General in Vancouver. Our delegation arrived in Canada on 2 August and returned to the UK on 7 August. The purpose of the visit was to assess the requirements for staging a World Athletics Championships, to meet key members of the International Athletics community gathered in Edmonton for the Championships and to support the British Team. I also held discussions with representatives from Canadian business and Government.

World Athletics Championships

Tim Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will publish the programme of all (a) events and (b) activities that the Minister for Sport attended at the 2001 World Athletics Championships in an official capacity.

Richard Caborn: In my official capacity as Minister for Sport my itinerary of events and activities attended relating to the World Athletics Championships in Edmonton was as follows:
	3 August—Meeting at the Accreditation Centre followed by lunch with the UK Team ahead of the UK Team meeting. I also attended the opening ceremony and met the Honourable Denis Coderre PC MP, Canadian Secretary of State for Amateur Sport.
	4 August—I attended the Games and undertook a tour of the backroom facilities at the stadium. In the evening I attended a reception and dinner in the presence of the Earl and Countess of Wessex and the Honourable Ralph Klein, Premier of Alberta.
	5 August—I attended the Games and attended a meeting with UK Athletics.
	6 August—I attended the Games, met representatives of the International Association of Athletic Federations (IAAF) and attended an IAAF reception.
	7 August—I attended the Games and the UK Sport and Birmingham City Council reception for IAAF members.
	I also stayed in the same accommodation in Edmonton as the UK team which enabled me to meet and discuss issues with athletes and officials.

WALES

Employment Policies

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what (a) representations he has received and (b) communications he has had with the First Minister of the National Assembly for Wales in respect of the employment policies of (i) public bodies and (ii) broadcasting bodies in Wales.

Paul Murphy: I meet regularly with the First Secretary when we discuss a range of issues including issues that affect employment in Wales. The employment policies of public and broadcasting bodies are a matter for the bodies themselves.

Departmental Staff

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many employees of (a) his Department and (b) agencies sponsored by his Department work in (i) London, (ii) areas benefiting from EU objective 1 status, (iii) areas with objective 2 status and (iv) other areas.

Paul Murphy: My Department has a complement of 48 posts. 40 staff usually work in London and eight usually work in an area with objective 2 status.
	My Department does not sponsor any agencies.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Indonesia

Bob Blizzard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action he is taking regarding the treatment of Christians in the Moluccas region of Indonesia; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The United Nations has made several assessment visits to Maluku since 1999. They have found concrete evidence of only a small number of forced conversions, including the most highly reported cases in Kasiui and Tior. Many of the Christians evacuated from the province in January are now reported to be voluntarily returning to their homes. Also, many Muslim and Christians who fled their villages to escape the violence are returning, and Muslim leaders in some villages have asked for help in encouraging Christians to return. In Ambon, the two communities remain segregated and there has been very little violence there in recent weeks.
	The Department for International Development (DFID) has pledged more than £4 million to help establish the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Conflict Prevention and Recovery Unit in Jakarta. The unit will build capacity in conflict reduction and recovery in the provinces torn apart by ethnic conflict, particularly in North Maluku. These new initiatives will complement DFID-supported humanitarian relief programmes by addressing the causes underlying conflict—abuse of power, alienation and loss of access to and control of resources essential for every day life. We will continue to work with the Indonesian authorities and UNDP to promote reconciliation, begin wider reconstruction work and to offer practical assistance where appropriate.
	The UK's message to the Indonesian Government has been consistently clear: a long-term solution to regional conflicts can only be achieved through political negotiation and consultation with the people. I raised these issues with Hamzah Haz, the Indonesian Vice President when we met in Jakarta on 27 August.

Departmental Publications

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department spent on information literature, advertising and campaign material in the financial years (a) 1995–96, (b) 1996–97, (c) 1997–98, (d) 1998–99, (e) 1999–2000 and (f) 2000–01; and if he will make a statement.

Denis MacShane: The amount spent on information literature, advertising and campaign literature by the FCO for the following financial years was:
	
		
			 Year £ 
		
		
			 (a) 1995–96 2,735,969 
			 (b) 1996–97 1,848,822 
			 (c) 1997–98 3,510,151 
			 (d) 1998–99 2,006,633 
			 (e) 1999–2000 1,794,344 
			 (f) 2000–01 1,921,031 
		
	
	Costs from the British Council and British Trade International are not included. Advertising forms part of the cost of the FCO recruitment service. The FCO has advertised 275 recruitment campaigns since 1996. Separate costs for advertising cannot be ascertained without disproportionate effort and cost. These figures include expenditure on public diplomacy, consular publicity and annual reports. Minor additional expenditure in London and overseas cannot be ascertained without disproportionate effort and cost.

Uranium Testing (Northern Cyprus)

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the evidence in the trial of Jamal al Fadl relating to the military testing of uranium in 1994 by the Islamic National Front in Hilat Koko in northern Cyprus; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: We understand that Al Fadl testified that he did not know whether the uranium had been tested. We have no independent evidence of our own to suggest that military testing of uranium by Sudan's National Islamic Front took place in Hilat Koko in 1994. Evidence provided by Al Fadl is for the US courts to assess.

Russian Federation/EU Co-operation

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received from applicant states concerning close co-operation between the Russian Federation and the EU Political and Social Affairs Committee.

Peter Hain: The EU-Russia summit on 3 October 2001 announced that the EU Political and Security Committee Troika and Russia would have monthly meetings to take stock of consultations on crisis prevention and management. This is a reflection of the importance the EU attaches to constructive engagement with Russia across the board. A few representatives of applicant states have noted, mostly informally, to my officials the establishment of these meetings.

Russian Federation/EU Co-operation

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on his policy towards Kaliningrad in the context of the expansion of the European Union.

Peter Hain: The UK believes Kaliningrad should be able to benefit from EU enlargement. This will require an imaginative approach and constructive engagement on all sides. A Commission communication published earlier this year examined areas of Russian concern including trade, fishing and transport. The EU-Russia summit on 3 October agreed that Commission and Russian officials would take forward work at the EU-Russia Co-operation Committee on 30 November.
	The UK supports proposals for early dialogue between Russia and the EU applicants/neighbours concerned on the movement of people and goods through their territories. We also recognise that the onus is on Russia to take advantage of the opportunities offered by EU enlargement by promoting reforms in rule of law and investment.
	The UK has assured the EU applicant states that the Kaliningrad question will not delay their accession to the EU. We have also urged the applicant states involved to work closely with Russia to ensure that Kaliningrad benefits from EU enlargement.

Gibraltar

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on progress made with the Spanish Government over the future of Gibraltar.

Peter Hain: I refer the hon. Member to my statement in Westminster Hall on 7 November 2001, Official Report, columns 88–92WH.

Gibraltar

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if it is the policy of Her Majesty's Government that there shall be self- determination of the people of Gibraltar.

Peter Hain: holding answer 15 November 2001
	HMG support the right or principle of self-determination reflecting the wishes of the people concerned. It should be exercised in accordance with the other principles and rights in the UN Charter and with other treaty obligations. In Gibraltar's case, that includes Article X of the Treaty of Utrecht. This has been and continues to be the position of successive British Governments.

Gibraltar

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on plans to offer the people of Gibraltar a referendum on the subject of a change to the status of their territory; and if the result of such a referendum will be binding on the United Kingdom Government.

Peter Hain: The Government stand by the commitment set out in the preamble to the 1969 Gibraltar constitution that we will not enter into arrangements under which the people of Gibraltar would pass under the sovereignty of another state against their freely and democratically expressed wishes.

Gibraltar

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has received from the people of Gibraltar about the future status of their territory.

Peter Hain: A 'Declaration of Unity', signed by the Chief Minister and leading politicians, was handed to an FCO representative in Gibraltar on 4 October. This Declaration, which was mainly concerned with the decision to suspend Gibraltar from the EU Single Sky framework regulation, claimed to represent the views of the majority of the people of Gibraltar. I have placed a copy of this document in the Libraries of the House. For the record, since 1 September, 21 letters have been received from members of the public in Gibraltar on various issues, including the future status of the territory.

Scottish Executive

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which members of the Scottish Executive the Minister for Europe met on his most recent visit to Scotland; and what subjects were discussed.

Peter Hain: During my visit to Edinburgh on 5 November I met Jack McConnell MSP, Minister for Education, Europe and External Affairs and his Deputy, Nicol Stephen MSP. We discussed my programme of engagements and the importance of informing members of the public about European Union issues. We also discussed forthcoming ministerial meetings at which representatives of the Scottish Devolved Administration and the United Kingdom Government would discuss European issues.

Israeli Exports

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the EU Association Council of 20 November will consider to stop the import into the EU under preference of goods labelled as made in Israel but which originate in Israeli settlements in the occupied territories.

Peter Hain: EU Foreign Ministers will discuss this at the 19 November General Affairs Council. The Government continue to support EU efforts with Israel to resolve this issue.

Israeli Exports

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs who will represent the British Government at the EU Association Council of 20 November reviewing the EU-Israel Association Agreement.

Peter Hain: The UK will be represented by staff from the UK Permanent Representation to the European Union.

Israeli Exports

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library, the agenda for the meeting of the EU Association Council to be held on 20 November to renew the EU-Israel Association Agreement.

Peter Hain: A copy of the EU's proposed agenda for the Council, to be formally agreed with Israel at the meeting, will be placed in the Library of the House.

Al Barakat

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to his United States counterpart regarding the United States decision to freeze the assets of the Somali-owned money-transferring company, Al Barakat.

Ben Bradshaw: The Foreign Secretary has not discussed with Colin Powell the decision, taken by the Treasuries of the UK, the US and many other UN member states, to freeze the assets of Al Barakat under the terms of UNSCR 1333. Before being made effective or public, the freeze was discussed by Foreign Office and Treasury officials with their US opposite numbers. British Officials approved the freeze and implemented it simultaneously with the US.
	Al Barakat is a vital part of the Al Qa'ida's financial network. Usama Bin Laden provided Barakat's start-up finance. Al Barakat wittingly provides foreign exchange, banking and international transfer services for Al Qa'ida and Somali organisations affiliated with Al Qa'ida.

Sudan

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Sudan on the UN Special Rapporteur's report on human rights abuses in Sudan; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The promotion of human rights remains one of our priorities in Sudan and our Embassy in Khartoum is in constant touch with the Government of Sudan. Human rights are also a key focus of the renewed EU-Sudan dialogue. We make representations to the Sudanese Government and to other parties to the conflict on a range of human rights issues, many of which are referred to in the Special Rapporteur's report.

SCOTLAND

Campbeltown to Ballycastle Ferry Service

Alan Reid: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when and where she will meet Scottish Executive and Northern Ireland Executive Ministers to discuss the operation of a ferry service between Campbeltown and Ballycastle.

George Foulkes: I will be meeting Scottish and Northern Irish Ministers in Glasgow at the end of this month to discuss the Ballycastle to Campbeltown ferry link.

Campbeltown to Ballycastle Ferry Service

Alan Reid: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when she expects to finalise the evaluation of the expressions of interest received to operate the ferry service between Campbeltown and Ballycastle.

George Foulkes: I expect to take a decision within the next few weeks, in conjunction with Scottish and Northern Irish Ministers, on how to proceed.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Police Emblems and Flags

Jean Corston: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when the draft Police Emblems and Flags Regulations provided for in section 54 of the Police (Northern Ireland) Act 2000 will be issued for consultation; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: I have today launched the consultation process on these draft regulations, copies of which have been placed in the Library of the House.
	As the Government said in this House during the passage of the Police (Northern Ireland) Act, they will look to the representative Policing Board to see if it can reach a cross-community consensus on these sensitive issues. We very much hope that it can. But, if not, the Government will take the decision. We have consistently said that in that event we will not decide on an outcome which would deter recruitment or be objectionable to a substantial part of the community.
	Comments have been sought by 14 December. Our aim is that the Regulations are approved in time to ensure that the new emblems and new uniforms are ready by the spring for the new recruits.

Criminal Justice Review

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland for what reasons he has not set an eight week period of consultation on the Government's response to the Criminal Justice Review.

Des Browne: This is not a new issue. There has already been extensive consultation on the review recommendations, both before and after the report was published in March last year. There was widespread support for the review's conclusions, and we made no secret of the fact that we intended to implement them more or less in full. This period of consultation will be focused and proactive, and we will continue to take on board the comments we receive on our proposals as we take forward the implementation process.

Fireworks

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many injuries from fireworks there were in Northern Ireland in each year since 1997.

Jane Kennedy: Firework injuries statistics in Northern Ireland have been monitored since 1996 and relate to people who have attended an accident and emergency department. The yearly figures are set out in the table.
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 1996 202 
			 1997 93 
			 1998 101 
			 1999 (6)139 
			 2000 100 
		
	
	(6) The 1999 figure includes statistics for the Millennium celebration period
	Statistics for 2001 are not yet available as the monitoring period for injuries has just ended but they are due to be published in December.

Fireworks

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many incidents of criminal damage were recorded in each year since 1997 in Northern Ireland relating to the use of fireworks.

Jane Kennedy: The Chief Constable has advised that criminal damage statistics relating to the misuse of fireworks are not held in a format that would enable the Police Service of Northern Ireland to answer the question.

Police Recruitment Quota

Patsy Calton: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of how long the recruitment quota for the Police Service for Northern Ireland will be necessary; what criteria he will use when determining whether it should continue; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  if he will stop the use of mandatory quotas for recruitment to the Police Service for Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: The temporary provisions in the Police (Northern Ireland) Act 2000 enabling the recruitment of 50 per cent. Roman Catholic and 50 per cent. non- Catholic (50:50 recruitment) from the pool of qualified candidates are subject to review and a renewal by order in Parliament every three years. The first review will be due in March 2004. In considering whether to renew the provisions, the Secretary of State will have regard to the progress which has been made towards securing a representative police service in Northern Ireland. He will consult as required under the Act.

PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL

Departmental Promotions

Vincent Cable: To ask the President of the Council how much his Department spent on information literature, advertising and campaign material in the financial years (a) 1995–96, (b) 1996–97, (c) 1997–98, (d) 1998–99 (e) 1999–2000 and (f) 2000–01; and if he will make a statement.

Robin Cook: The Privy Council Office spent £3,406 on information literature in the financial year 2000–01.
	No moneys were spent on information literature, advertising or campaign material in the other financial years mentioned.

TRANSPORT, LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND THE REGIONS

M25

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions when work is due to commence on the next phase of widening the M25.

David Jamieson: Work is anticipated to start on the next phase of the M25 Junctions 12 to 15 widening in Spring 2003.

Railtrack

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what contingency plans he made to provide extra resources to Railtrack prior to 5 October.

John Spellar: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave due consideration to the option of providing extra resources to Railtrack—through their Project Rainbow proposals—when making his decision on 5 October. Consideration was given to the legislation that would be required to enable Railtrack's request for a suspension of the existing Regulatory regime.

Railtrack

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what his estimate is of the revenue that could have been raised from brought-forward payment of track access charges if the Rail Regulator had held an interim financial review on 5 October.

David Jamieson: holding answer 14 November 2001
	This would have been a matter for the independent Rail Regulator. The regulator did indicate to Railtrack his willingness to consider an interim review but Railtrack did not apply for one.

Railtrack

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what discussions he had with the European Commission prior to his decision on placing Railtrack in administration.

David Jamieson: Neither my right hon. Friend nor my officials had any discussions with the European Commission dealing with the matters which formed the basis for my right hon. Friend's decision to petition for a court order placing Railtrack plc into administration prior to that decision. On Monday 8 October 2001, my officials informed the European Commission that Railtrack plc had been placed into administration.

Railtrack

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 14 November 2001, reference 14783, on what basis his Department determined the value of assets of Railtrack plc for the purposes of assessing the company's solvency.

Stephen Byers: Under general accounting practice, the solvency of Railtrack plc was assessed on its ability to meet its debt liability payments. Railtrack plc was taken into Railway Administration on 7 October because it was, or was likely to become, unable to pay its debts. The evidence presented to the High Court showed that there would be a deficit of £700 million by 8 December this year, rising to £1.7 billion by the end of March next year. Railtrack plc attended the High Court but did not oppose the petition to place the Company in railway administration.
	The administrator will be seeking to obtain the best value he can for the assets in Railtrack plc.

Road Clearance

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will take steps to introduce similar obligations to those in Scotland on highway authorities to take reasonable steps to prevent ice or snow making roads unsafe in winter.

John Spellar: We are continuing to consider the legal position on the winter service provided by highway authorities in the light of the House of Lords judgment last year in the case of Goodes v. East Sussex. The judgment was that there was there was no duty on local highway authorities under the Highways Act 1980 to prevent ice from forming on highways.

Council Housing

Iain Coleman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many council properties in London have rents above £100 per week; and how many he estimates will have target rents above £100 per week under the rent restructuring proposals.

Sally Keeble: Information on the number of council properties in London which have rents of over £100 per week is not collected centrally. We are considering proposals for tackling the potential problems associated with properties which have very high target rents under the reforms.

Town Centre Housing Incentives

Ross Cranston: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will make a statement on the incentives he provides for people to live in town centres; and if he will make a statement.

Sally Keeble: Government planning policies (particularly PPGs 3 and 6) provide incentives by encouraging authorities to prepare town centre strategies, and to promote high quality, safe, attractive developments and places. Planning policies also encourage the provision of a wide range of housing types and sizes in urban areas, so as to meet the requirements of the whole community, including those in need of affordable housing.
	PPG3 (Housing) gives priority to re-using previously developed land within urban areas in preference to the development of greenfield sites. This significantly increases the attractiveness of town centre locations to residential developers.
	To support the redevelopment of vacant and under-used space over shops and other commercial premises, Budget 2001 introduced 100 per cent. capital allowances for owners and occupiers for the costs of creating flats in these locations for letting, enabling them to obtain up-front tax relief on their spending.
	In addition to these national measures, there is plenty of locally targeted activity sponsored by English Partnerships and the regional development agencies. In the centre of Newcastle the city council, English Partnerships and the One North East Regional Development Agency have provided incentives through the "Living Over The Shops" project, supporting creation of new flats in upper floors of commercial buildings. The aim is to double the population of the Grainger Town area of the city centre by 2003. Yorkshire Forward is working with city of York council to redevelop land behind the city's railway station as 'York Central', a mixed use development creating jobs and nearly 3,000 new homes, to provide a new business district for the historic city.
	Encouraging people to live in town centres is not just about housing, but also about the services and facilities they will find there. In Manchester city centre for instance the North West Development Agency has invested £1 million to enable the conversion of eight derelict railway arches into a vibrant leisure and retail development at Deansgate Locks.
	The renaissance of city centres has taken on its own momentum. Again in Manchester, following the substantial investment by the Central Manchester Development Corporation and the North West Development Agency, new developments now take place without public subsidy, and market-led growth continues. Manchester's city centre population has grown from 300 in 1998 to an estimated 6,000 in 2000.

London Underground

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what contingency plans are in place for the London Underground in the event that PPP is found not to be value for money.

David Jamieson: The Government have consistently made clear the PPP arrangements for the modernisation of London Underground will only go ahead if they provide value for money and the safety arrangements are accepted by the Health and Safety Executive. If the modernisation plans were not to proceed, we would expect that London Underground would transfer to Transport for London in its current form.

London Underground

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what was the annual average excess waiting time for passengers buying a ticket at the 10 stations on the London Underground with the greatest excess waiting time in (a) each year since 1997 and (b) for each month of 2001.

David Jamieson: holding answer 13 November 2001
	This is an operational matter for London Underground (LU). LU monitors Ticket Purchase Time at ticket offices as part of the "Journey Time Metrics process". The excess time for ticket purchase is the queuing time experienced when purchasing a ticket at a ticket window. LU have provided the information, set out in the following table, for each full financial year since 1997–98.
	
		Average excess queuing time (seconds) for 10 ticket offices with the greatest queuing time by financial year
		
			 Year Excess time (seconds) 
		
		
			 1997–98 188 
			 1998–99 196 
			 1999–2000 188 
			 2000–01 206

London Underground

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many lost passenger hours were incurred by each of the shadow infrastructure companies of the London Underground in (a) 1999, (b) 2000 and (c) each month of 2001.

David Jamieson: holding answer 13 November 2001
	The information is as follows:
	(a) Full year information is not available for the 1999–2000 financial year.
	(b) London Underground (LU) have been "shadow running" the PPP contracts since April 2000. Lost Customer Hours will be the main means of calculating "availability", which is the reliability measure under the PPP, and will be one of the measures on the basis of which payments to the Infraco will be calculated. It should be noted that Lost Customer Hours can be the responsibility of either Infracos (for example as a consequence of asset failures) or LU (for example as a consequence of the non-availability of drivers).
	
		Service disruption—Lost customer hours 2000–01 by Infraco
		
			 Infraco Lost customer hours (full year) 
		
		
			 BCV 6,302,317 
			 JNP 5,449,242 
			 SSL 11,587,434 
		
	
	Note:
	BCV = Bakerloo, Central, Victoria and Waterloo and City lines.
	JNP = Jubilee, Northern and Piccadilly lines.
	SSL = District, Metropolitan, East London, Hammersmith and City and Circle lines
	(c) Detailed in-year operational information of this nature is a matter for London Underground.

London Underground

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what was the (a) basic pay rate and (b) average annual earnings of London Underground (i) drivers and (ii) station staff in each year since 1991.

David Jamieson: holding answer 13 November 2001
	London Underground have provided the information in the table and following notes:
	
		£ 
		
			 Year Train Operator annual salary Train Operator average annual earnings Station Supervisor Annual salary Station Supervisor average annual earnings Station Assistant Annual salary Station Assistant average annual earnings 
		
		
			 1991–92 (7)— n/a (8)— n/a (9)— n/a 
			 1992–93 (10)— n/a (11)— n/a (12)— n/a 
			 1993–94 23,345 23,275 25,376 23,199 14,109 15,920 
			 1994–95 23,812 23,974 26,009 23,834 14,462 16,167 
			 1995–96 24,647 24,858 26,789 24,734 14,896 16,722 
			 1996–97 25,017 25,207 27,646 25,954 15,373 16,756 
			 1997–98 25,192 25,482 28,392 26,869 15,788 17,163 
			 1998–99 25,545 26,051 29,641 28,020 16,483 17,841 
			 1999–2000 26,592 27,177 30,263 29,026 16,829 18,782 
			 2000–01 27,656 28,077 31,781 30,491 17,674 19,597 
			 2001–02 28,762 (13)— 33,052 (13)— 18,381 (13)— 
		
	
	(7) @£19,250 made up of basic pay of £13,324 + unsocial hours and Sundays
	(8) @£18,131 made up of basic pay of £11,879 + unsocial hours and Sundays
	(9) @£10,214 made up of basic pay of £7,057 + unsocial hours and Sundays
	(10) @£20,116 made up of basic pay of £13,924 + unsocial hours and Sundays
	(11) @£18,948 made up of basic pay of £12,414 + unsocial hours and Sundays
	(12) @£10,673 made up of basic pay of £7,374 + unsocial hours and Sundays
	(13) Not available at this time.
	Note:
	1. Average annual earnings are not available for 1991–92 or 1992–93 because the systems to calculate these were introduced in 1993.
	2. Train operators average earnings figure based on both train operators and instructor operators.
	3. Station supervisor group includes four grades of staff.
	4. The annual salary shown for station supervisors is the maximum contractual sum that could be earned.
	5. Station assistant group includes two grades of staff.
	6. The annual salary shown for station assistant staff is the maximum contractual salary for the lower ranking station assistant grade. The maximum contractual salary for the other grade is about £2,T00 a year more.

London Underground

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions at which London Underground stations where new escalators have been installed within the past 10 years, these escalators have had to be taken out of use because of defects where the resulting closure was for a period of longer than one week; and who the manufacturers concerned were.

David Jamieson: holding answer 13 November 2001
	This is an operational matter for London Underground (LU). LU does not hold the information requested in a readily available form, and it could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

London Underground

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions on what date re-signalling of the Central Line was completed; how many signal failures on the Central Line there were in each month since the re-signalling was completed; and which company did the work.

David Jamieson: holding answer 13 November 2001
	The majority of the re-signalling of the Central Line was completed in November 1998, but some features remain to be delivered. There are still two sites, Woodford and Ealing Broadway, where Automatic Train Operation (ATO) has to be fitted—this is planned for completion in December 2001. Automatic Train Regulation (ATR) is still to be fitted to the signalling control system and this is due by spring 2002.
	The number of signal failures on the Central Line each month since the major part of the re-signalling was completed in November 1998 is set out in the table.
	
		Number of signal failures on the Central Line since November 1998
		
			  Year/month Number of signal failures causing delay 
		
		
			 1998  
			 November 43 
			 December 93 
			   
			 1999  
			 January 63 
			 February 61 
			 March 88 
			 April 66 
			 May 70 
			 June 76 
			 July 97 
			 August 80 
			 September 73 
			 October 76 
			 November 49 
			 December 61 
			   
			 2000  
			 January 66 
			 February 62 
			 March 76 
			 April 88 
			 May 118 
			 June 107 
			 July 139 
			 August 147 
			 September 79 
			 October 100 
			 November 122 
			 December 123 
			 2001  
			 January 122 
			 February 92 
			 March 132 
			 April 106 
			 May 128 
			 June 102 
			 July 106 
			 August 117 
			 September 121 
			 October 40 
			 Total 3,289 
		
	
	Note:
	The work was carried out by Westinghouse Rail Systems of Chippenham, Wiltshire, (formerly Westinghouse Signals) a subsidiary company of Invensys

London Underground

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if any train sets in use on the (a) Central, (b) Jubilee and (c) Northern lines of the London Underground have, in any month during the period since they were purchased, failed to achieve their original contractual requirements in terms of mean distance between failure; and what the relevant contractual figures are.

David Jamieson: holding answer 13 November 2001
	Yes. Both Central and Jubilee Line trains have had months during the period since they were purchased where they failed to achieve the original contractual requirements in terms of mean distance between failure. The contractual figure for the Central Line is one failure attributable to the manufacturer every 25,000 kilometres. The comparable figure for Jubilee Line trains is 12,500 kilometres.
	Northern Line trains have fully met their contractual reliability performance. These trains have not been purchased but are leased under a PFI arrangement.

London Underground

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what was the average annual mean distance between failure of trains on each line on the London Underground for (a) each year since 1996 and (b) each month of 2001.

David Jamieson: holding answer 13 November 2001
	On (a) I refer the hon. Member to my reply to him of 20 July 2001, Official Report, column 529W.
	On (b), detailed in-year operational information of this nature is a matter for London Underground.

London Underground

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what, for each line of London Underground, was the average number of failures of (a) points, (b) signals and (c) trains in each year since 1997; and what the targets for improvement for each line are in the first five years of the public-private partnership.

David Jamieson: holding answer 13 November 2001
	This is an operational matter for London Underground (LU).
	For the answers to (a) and (b), I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Westbury (Dr. Murrison) on 18 July 2001, Official Report, column 24W.
	(c) LU have provided the following information on the number of services disrupted due to train failures in each full financial year since 1997–98.
	
		
			 Service disruptions due to train failures: 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 
		
		
			 Non LT 167 249 134 27 
			 Bakerloo 1,144 1,237 879 968 
			 Central 2,423 2,165 2,304 2,864 
			 District 1,082 995 981 834 
			 Jubilee and East London 1,239 2,376 1,722 1,709 
			 Metropolitan and Circle (Circle and Hammersmith) 2,170 1,380 1,568 1,463 
			 Metropolitan and Circle (main) 1,238 1,065 1,047 1,247 
			 Northern 4,229 5,942 3,727 1,674 
			 Piccadilly 3,115 3,886 2,934 2,609 
			 Victoria 994 821 920 1,053 
			  
			 Total 17,801 20,116 16,216 14,448 
		
	
	The PPP contracts incentivise the infrastructure companies to minimise the number of failures from points, signal, trains and other assets. The companies will be paid more for better performance and be penalised for causing delays. The penalties relate to how many passengers are affected by any delay, and there is no ceiling on the level of the penalties. This level of penalty will provide very strong incentives to improve the reliability of the infrastructure.

London Underground

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what was the London Underground weighted annual (a) predicted average passenger journey time and (b) passenger excess journey time for (i) each year since the inception of these measures and (ii) each month of 2001.

David Jamieson: holding answer 13 November 2001
	On (i) London Underground (LU) have provided the information in the table showing scheduled journey time and excess journey time collected as part of their "Journey Time Metrics" process for each full financial year since 1998–99. Annual data are not available before 1998–99.
	
		Journey time (weighted minutes)
		
			   1998–99(14) 1999–2000(14) 2000–01(14) 
		
		
			 Scheduled journey time 35.56 35.58 35.58 
			 Excess journey time 6.46 6.55 7.45 
			  
			 Total journey time 42.02 42.13 42.83 
		
	
	(14) Full year
	On (ii) detailed in-year operational information of this nature is a matter for London Underground.

London Underground

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what average annual percentage of peak hour trains ran on each line of the London Underground in (a) each year since 1996 and (b) each month of 2001.

David Jamieson: holding answer 13 November 2001
	The information is as follows:
	(a) London Underground have provided the information set out in the table showing the percentage of peak trains operating in each full financial year since 1996–97, taking account of all cancellations, including those—such as security alerts and passenger action—which are outside their control.
	
		Annual percentage of peak trains operating
		
			  Percentage  
			  1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 
		
		
			 Bakerloo 94.5 97.1 95.8 95.3 88.4 
			 Central 96.1 97.1 95.6 96.8 96.5 
			 Waterloo and City 95.3 99.6 97.7 99.3 97.3 
			 Victoria 97.2 97.8 97.8 99.0 97.1 
			 Jubilee 96.5 98.6 98.7 96.8 93.3 
			 Northern 95.8 97.0 91.7 97.2 97.7 
			 Piccadilly 95.8 96.6 94.1 94.5 90.6 
			 District 96.3 99.2 98.3 98.8 95.5 
			 East London 96.3 99.2 98.3 98.8 94.4 
			 Metropolitan 95.8 98.5 98.1 97.7 95.6 
			 Circle 91.4 92.6 92.4 90.8 84.5 
			 Hammersmith and City 93.5 96.9 96.4 95.9 93.8 
			  
			 Total 95.8 97.5 95.6 96.8 94.4 
		
	
	(b) Detailed in-year operational information of this nature is a matter for London Underground.

London Underground

Bridget Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what plans his Department has to increase the number of CCTV cameras in stations and train carriages on London Underground.

David Jamieson: Under the plans for a publicly run, privately built Tube, there will be improved CCTV in every station, monitoring exits, ticket halls, platforms, passageways. As trains are replaced or refurbished, CCTV will also be introduced in every train carriage.

London Underground

Bridget Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will ask London Underground to install the moving block computerised system in order to replace current signalling systems.

David Jamieson: The Tube modernisation plans are based on infrastructure contracts for maintenance and renewal, which are output driven. As long as key improvements, such as shorter journey times and improved reliability, are made to London Underground's strict specifications, the method of achieving them will be a matter for the infrastructure companies. Moving block signalling is one possible option.

London Underground

Bridget Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many rolling stock failures have been reported on (a) the Jubilee Line and (b) the Northern Line in the past month.

David Jamieson: Detailed in-year operational information of this nature is a matter for London Underground.

London Underground

Bridget Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many trains are run on (a) the Jubilee Line and (b) the Northern Line by London Underground.

David Jamieson: This is an operational matter for London Underground. They have advised that there are up to (a) 59 train sets serving the Jubilee Line and (b) 106 serving the Northern Line.

Fire Officers (Long-service Award)

Michael Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions 
	(1)  what the estimated cost is per medal of providing a 30 year long-service award for fire officers;
	(2)  how many serving fire officers have 30 years or more service.

Alan Whitehead: In September 2000 it was estimated that there were 400 firefighters and fire officers with over 30 years service, with an average of 275 reaching the 30-year mark each year. The estimated cost of an award would be £20.00 per medal or £1.00 for a bar to the existing long service and good conduct medal.

Rail Improvements (Wycombe)

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will list the revisions to the timetable for planned improvements to the (a) track and (b) stations in the Wycombe constituency in the last six months.

David Jamieson: Details of revisions to the timetable from April 2001 to 29 November on the route through High Wycombe have been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Local Government Funding (Buckinghamshire)

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will make a statement on the allocation of central Government funds to (a) Wycombe district council and (b) Buckinghamshire county council in each of the last four years.

Alan Whitehead: The table lists the general grants (Revenue Support Grant, National Non-Domestic Rates and damping grants) and ring-fenced grants to these authorities in the last four years.
	
		£ million 
		
			  1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 
		
		
			 Buckinghamshire 21.229 229.344 235.763 267.265 
			 Wycombe 8.196 8.264 8.555 9.144 
		
	
	The information is taken from the returns which local authorities have provided to the Department. The figures in the table are on an unadjusted basis and do not reflect changes in financing or functions which may have occurred in that time.

Local Government Funding (Hackney)

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what changes have taken place in Government support for the London borough of Hackney, using 1994–95 as the base year, to 2000–01, including the Government general revenue support, revenue support grant, redistributed business rates and damping grants and specific Government grants but excluding housing subsidy, benefits subsidy and mandatory awards; and if he will make a statement.

Alan Whitehead: The table lists the general grants (Revenue Support Grant, National Non-Domestic Rates and damping grants) and ring-fenced grants to the London borough of Hackney since 1994–95.
	
		General and ring-fenced grants
		
			  £ million 
		
		
			 1994–95 262.216 
			 1995–96 243.744 
			 1996–97 242.301 
			 1997–98 245.175 
			 1998–99 246.385 
			 1999–2000 259.081 
			 2000–01 272.945 
			 2001–02 288.119 
		
	
	The information is taken from returns which the authority has provided to the Department. The figures in the table are on an unadjusted basis and do not reflect changes in financing or functions which may have occurred in that time. Information on ring-fenced grants in 2001–02 is based on budgets and may be different from outturn figures when available.

East London Line

Martin Linton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what progress has been made by the Strategic Rail Authority in their investigation into the possibility of a third extension of the East London Line to Clapham Junction.

David Jamieson: The Strategic Rail Authority and Transport for London are continuing to assess the options for the further extension of the East London Line, including a possible extension to Clapham Junction. A decision will not be taken until their studies are completed and considered next year.

Social Housing

Martin Linton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will list the number of registered social landlord homes (a) built and (b) approved for building by London boroughs between April 2000 and April 2001.

Sally Keeble: Numbers of dwellings completed by registered social landlords, as reported by local authorities on their monthly housebuilding returns to the Department, and numbers of homes approved for building, as reported by the Housing Corporation, for the year 2000–01 by London borough are given in the table.
	
		
			 London borough Reported RSL completions Approvals 
		
		
			 Barking and Dagenham (15)— 318 
			 Barnet 168 199 
			 Bexley 98 199 
			 Brent 251 355 
			 Bromley (15)— 235 
			 Camden 256 170 
			 City of London 0 0 
			 Croydon 77 412 
			 Ealing (16)53 303 
			 Enfield 344 590 
			 Greenwich 147 409 
			 Hackney 112 640 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 0 189 
			 Haringey (17)59 317 
			 Harrow 0 147 
			 Havering 28 130 
			 Hillingdon (17)286 260 
			 Hounslow 24 170 
			 Islington (17)44 354 
			 Kensington and Chelsea (17)55 237 
			 Kingston upon Thames (17)41 61 
			 Lambeth (15)— 260 
			 Lewisham 150 347 
			 Merton 51 146 
			 Newham 138 419 
			 Redbridge 39 125 
			 Richmond upon Thames 20 106 
			 Southwark 26 371 
			 Sutton 161 347 
			 Tower Hamlets (15)— 489 
			 Waltham Forest 257 979 
			 Wandsworth 3 255 
			 Westminster (17)358 172 
		
	
	(15) Data not available because the local authority has reported for less than nine months.
	(16) The local authority has reported for only nine months.
	(17) The local authority has reported for only 11 months.

Electoral Review

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what plans he has to establish an independent review of local government electoral arrangements in England.

Alan Whitehead: On 14 November we laid before the House a draft of an Order, under section 18 of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000, that, subject to parliamentary approval, will transfer the functions of the Local Government Commission for England to the independent Electoral Commission from 1 April 2002. From that date the Electoral Commission will be entirely responsible for the revision and updating of electoral arrangements in local government.

Manchester—Leeds Freight

Colin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what plans he has to encourage freight traffic on the Manchester to Leeds trans-Pennine rail links.

David Jamieson: Our policy is to help establish an integrated, sustainable freight distribution system throughout the country to support economic growth and to bring social and environmental benefits. We set out our long term strategy in our 10-year plan and have established the Strategic Rail Authority with a duty to promote rail freight. The SRA's Strategic Agenda and Freight Strategy, published earlier this year, set out its plans for freight, and include proposals for delivering growth on trans-Pennine routes. The SRA will describe further how its freight objectives will be achieved in its soon to be published Strategic Plan.

Planning

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what plans he has to give objectors more rights in the planning process; and which of those arise from the Human Rights Act 1998.

Sally Keeble: Local people already have the opportunity to comment on development proposals before the local planning authority decides whether or not to grant planning permission. Our forthcoming planning Green Paper will look at ways of improving community engagement in the planning process.
	We assessed the implications of the Human Rights Act 1998 (HRA) for planning legislation and procedures before the Act came into force. We do not consider that there is any need on HRA grounds for changes to the system generally or specifically in relation to third party objectors.

EU-financed Projects (Greater London)

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what European Union financed projects are under way in the Greater London area.

Sally Keeble: There is a wide range of European funded projects running in the Greater London area, some of which are funded through the UK Government and some directly from the European Commission. These include the European Union Framework Programme, Eureka, and LEONARDO.
	The largest sources of funding available in London through the UK Government are the Structural Funds—the European Regional Development Fund and the European Social Fund. These are worth £570 million to London over the period 2000–06.

Home Improvement Grants

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will increase the funding available for home improvement grants.

Sally Keeble: From 1 April 2002, local authorities' capital programmes, including the provision of home improvement grants, will be funded from within a 'single capital pot'. Subject to that overall allocation, it will be for each authority to determine spending priorities.
	For the years 2003–04 to 2005–06 the total capital funds available to local authorities will be decided as part of the Spending Review 2002, due to conclude next summer.

Smoke Alarms

Ross Cranston: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he has made a cost-benefit assessment of fire services making smoke alarms available free to households in their area.

Alan Whitehead: No specific work has been done to assess the cost-benefit of fire services providing smoke alarms free of charge to householders.
	However, we do encourage the fire service to adopt a policy of smoke alarm installation work rather than give-away initiatives when offering free smoke alarms to the public as part of community fire safety activities. This is based on part-Government funded research work undertaken by the Institute of Child Health (now known as the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine), which sought to determine whether door-to-door distribution of free smoke alarms to householders was effective in reducing the risk of residential fires, fire related casualties, and serious fire-related injuries.
	The evaluation of the work concluded that simply giving smoke alarms to households does not increase ownership of fully operational smoke alarms, nor reduce fire-related deaths and injuries. The research suggested that, in addition, correct installation and positioning is crucial to the effectiveness of initiatives to provide free smoke alarms to householders.

Deprived Areas (Newcastle)

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will place in the Library the rankings of (a) Newcastle City council and (b) each ward of Newcastle City council on the Index of Local Deprivation for the index of multiple deprivation, and for each of the six domains of deprivation.

Sally Keeble: Yes, the information requested has been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Regeneration Projects (St. Pancras)

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what research his Department has (a) conducted and (b) commissioned concerning the (i) economic, (ii) social, and (iii) environmental impact of urban regeneration projects around St. Pancras Station.

Sally Keeble: The various impacts of the redevelopment of the former railway lands around King's Cross/ St. Pancras are being carefully assessed as part of the master planning process being taken forward by London and Continental Railways and their development partner, a consortium of Argent St. George. My Department is very closely involved in this process, which includes extensive community liaison and consultation with business, transport and heritage interests. The process will also involve formal planning applications to the London borough of Camden as the local planning authority. They will closely scrutinise all the impacts of the proposed commercial, residential and leisure development including ease of access, community safety and the employment and housing opportunities offered.

Euston-Northampton Rail Forum

Richard Page: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions when he next plans to meet the Euston-Northampton Rail Forum.

David Jamieson: The Strategic Rail Authority meets the West Coast Joint Forum on a regular basis and will be setting up a further meeting with them in the next few weeks.

Flooding (River Roding)

Linda Perham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions 
	(1)  what assessment his Department has made of the impact of inundation of the River Roding on transport in Ilford, North; what steps his Department has taken in the last 12 months to minimise the potential impact; and what assistance is available from his Department in case of further flooding;
	(2)  what assessment his Department has made in the last 12 months of Redbridge council's procedures in the event of inundation of the River Roding; and what assistance is available from his Department to Redbridge council in the event of further flooding.

David Jamieson: holding answer 16 November 2001
	We have made no such assessments. We have received no approach from Redbridge council on these matters. In the event of further flooding it would be open to the local authority to seek assistance from DTLR under the Bellwin scheme of emergency financial assistance to local authorities.

EU Physical Agents Directive

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what assessment he has made of the medical basis for the European Commission's proposed physical agents directive; and if he will make a statement.

Alan Whitehead: holding answer 16 November 2001
	The two proposed physical agents directives on vibration and noise are based on known health effects. There is an internationally accepted dose-response relationship between exposure to noise and the risk of hearing loss and between exposure to hand-arm vibration and the risk of hand-arm vibration syndrome. There is an association between exposure to whole body vibration and back pain, though the dose-response relationship is not clear.

EU Physical Agents Directive

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what recent representations the Government have made to the European Commission regarding the proposed physical agents directive; and if he will make a statement.

Alan Whitehead: holding answer 16 November 2001
	The two proposed physical agents directives on vibration and noise have already reached common position in the Council of Ministers. The European Commission attended negotiations in the Council Working Group where the Government's views have been strongly represented. UK representatives have also met Commission officials separately during the course of negotiations.

EU Physical Agents Directive

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what recent assessment he has made of the impact of the European Commission's proposed physical agents directive on engineering premises; and if he will make a statement.

Alan Whitehead: holding answer 16 November 2001
	The Government have not costed the implications to individual industry sectors of the two proposed physical agents directives on vibration and noise. Regulatory impact assessments of the common position reached on both directives covering the costs to industry as a whole and the health benefits to workers have been prepared by the Health and Safety Executive. The RIA on the vibration directive has already been submitted to the European Scrutiny Committee and is available in the House of Commons Library; I will shortly submit the RIA on the noise directive and place it in the Library.

Lewes-Uckfield Railway Line

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will list the representations his Department has received since 1 May 1997 (a) in favour of and (b) against the reopening of the Lewes-Uckfield railway line.

David Jamieson: I am aware of 244 such representations, many of which have been received from supporters of the Wealden Line Campaign which is promoting the re-opening of the line between Uckfield and Lewes.

Lewes-Uckfield Railway Line

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will make a statement on the status of, and progress being made on, in the feasibility study being undertaken under the auspices of the SRA into the possible reopening of the Lewes-Uckfield railway line.

David Jamieson: I refer the hon. Member to the record of the Adjournment debate he secured on 31 October 2001, Official Report, columns 295–303.

Rail Freight (Newhaven Railhead)

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will ask the SRA to consider the potential for switching freight from road to rail following the development of an improved railhead at Newhaven.

David Jamieson: I am not aware of any proposal for enhancing the railway infrastructure at Newhaven. However, the SRA has a target to deliver a significant increase in rail's share of freight over the next decade and is keen to ensure that potential opportunities to increase rail freight are taken. The authority's first Freight Strategy published in May this year, and their soon to be published Strategic Plan, describe how its freight target will be achieved.

South Coast Multimodal Study

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if the South Coast multimodal study is permitted to consider the impact of fare reductions on train services, underwritten by (a) the relevant train operating company, (b) the SRA and (c) his Department, as part of its remit to find ways to maximise use of the existing infrastructure.

David Jamieson: Our draft directions and guidance to the SRA require it to keep under review the level of regulated and unregulated fares. The South Coast multimodal study will consider rail options for the routes covered by the study in order to identify cost effective ways of improving rail travel in the study corridor. The Government Office and their consultants are working with the Strategic Rail Authority in identifying and developing rail solutions.

Highways (Consultation Exercise)

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will list the (a) organisations and (b) individuals who responded to the consultation on the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991 section 64A—charges for occupation of the highway which closed on 12 October; and when the official Government response to that consultation will be published.

Sally Keeble: The list of those responding to the consultation under section 74A of the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991—charge for whole duration of works—is set out. The Government intend laying regulations under section 74A before Parliament within a few days. As these are affirmative regulations, they will need to be debated in both Houses.
	List of responses to the consultation held on draft regulations under section 74A of the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991
	Local Authorities
	Bath and North East Somerset Council
	Bexley Council
	Birmingham City Council
	Cambridgeshire County Council
	City of Westminster
	City of York Council
	Cornwall County Council
	Corporation of London
	Croydon Council
	Devon County Council
	Durham County Council
	Gateshead Council
	Hampshire County Council
	Kent County Council
	Kirklees Metropolitan Council
	Leeds City Council
	Leicester City Council
	Lincolnshire County Council
	London Borough of Camden
	London Borough of Ealing
	London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham
	London Borough of Harrow
	London Borough of Hounslow
	London Borough of Lewisham
	London Borough of Wandsworth
	Milton Keynes Council
	Norfolk County Council
	Northamptonshire County Council
	Nottinghamshire County Council
	Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
	Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council
	South Gloucestershire Council
	Staffordshire County Council
	Surrey County Council
	Swindon Council
	Wigan Council
	Wiltshire County Council
	Wokingham District Council
	Utility Companies
	Anglian Joint Utilities Group
	Bournemouth and West Hampshire Water
	COLT Telecommunications
	Electricity Association
	Energis Communications Ltd.
	London Electricity Group—LPN
	London Joint Utilities Group
	National Joint Utilities Group
	ntl
	One 2 One
	Scottish and Southern Energy plc
	Slough Heat and Power Ltd.
	South Staffordshire Water plc
	Thames Water Utilities Ltd.
	Three Valleys Water plc
	Thus plc
	Transco
	Wessex Water
	WS Atkins Services Ltd. on behalf of Cable and Wireless UK
	Yorkshire Electricity Distribution Services
	Yorkshire Water
	Other Organisations
	Automobile Association
	Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management
	Confederation of Passenger Transport UK
	Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee
	Freight Transport Association
	Institute of Highway Incorporated Engineers
	Institution of Highways and Transportation
	Institution of Structural Engineers
	International Society for Trenchless Technology
	Jason Consultants Ltd.
	Joint Committee on Mobility of Blind and Partially Sighted People
	London Buses—Infrastructure Development
	London Buses—Tramlink Division
	London Transport Users Committee
	Motorists' Forum
	National Sewerage Association
	Nottinghamshire Police
	OFWAT
	Ofwat National Customer Council
	Pipeline Industries Guild
	RAC Foundation for Motoring
	Road Haulage Association.

Hostel Beds

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many hostel beds were available in (a) London and (b) the rest of the country in each of the last 10 years.

Sally Keeble: This information is not collected centrally.

Local Authority Repairs

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many landlords have been prosecuted for disregarding local authority repairs notices since 1990.

Sally Keeble: This information is not collected centrally.

Homelessness

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions which councils operate private leasing of unsold homes as a means of housing homeless families; and how many families are housed by each local authority in private leasing accommodation.

Sally Keeble: My Department seeks information about English local authorities' activities under the homelessness provisions of the Housing Act 1996 on the quarterly P1 (E) housing returns. Data collected include the number of households being temporarily housed by the authority. These separately distinguish households in private sector accommodation that has been leased either by the local authority itself or by a registered social landlord, although the reason that the property became available for leasing is not collected.
	Supplementary tables produced with the Department's quarterly Statistical Release on homelessness activity, present reported information on individual local authorities' use of various types of temporary accommodation, and of the numbers of households accommodated in them, on the last day of the quarter. The latest tables, published on 12 September 2001, cover the period to the end of June 2001. Copies are available in the Library of the House and are also on the DTLR website.

Homelessness

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many homeless people there were in each of the last 10 years.

Sally Keeble: The number of households accepted by local authorities in England under the homelessness provisions of the 1985 and 1996 Housing Acts, as being eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need, was as follows:
	
		
			 Year Number 
		
		
			 1991–92 139,630 
			 1992–93 136,230 
			 1993–94 125,360 
			 1994–95 116,850 
			 1995–96 116,550 
			 1996–97 110,810 
			 1997–98 102,650 
			 1998–99 104,150 
			 1999–2000 106,130 
			 2000–01 114,350 
		
	
	Source:
	DETR P1(E) housing returns (quarterly)
	National and some regional information on local authorities' activity is provided in a quarterly statistical release published by the Department. Copies are available in the Library, and also via the Department's website. The latest edition, published on 12 September, presents statistics up to the end of June 2001.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Higher Education

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of school leavers (a) in the Buckingham constituency and (b) nationally entered higher education in each of the last four years.

Margaret Hodge: Figures for the number of school leavers who go on to higher education are not collated centrally on a constituency basis. The available figures for Great Britain, showing the proportion of under 21 year olds who enter higher education for the first time, are given in the table. The increase in the index in 1997–98 related partly to changes in the funding arrangements for higher education, with students choosing to enter HE rather than wait until 1998–99. There was a corresponding reduction in 1998–99 before the entry rates started to increase again in 1999–2000. Between 1997–98 and 2000–01, total HE students in English universities and colleges rose by 83,000.
	
		Age participation index (API)(18) for Great Britain
		
			 Year API (percentage) 
		
		
			 1997–98 33 
			 1998–99 31 
			 1999–2000 32 
			 2000–01(19) 32–34 
		
	
	(18) The API is defined as the number of GB domiciled initial entrants to full-time and sandwich undergraduate HE aged under 21, expressed as a percentage of the average number of 18 and 19-year-olds in the population.
	(19) Projected: final data on initial entrants is not yet available.

Sure Start

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on the cost of the sure start programmes for parents and children in deprived areas in the last 12 months.

Yvette Cooper: Expenditure on sure start was £7 million in 1999–2000 as set out in the Department for Education and Employment Departmental Report 2001–04, published in March 2001.

University College

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what representations she has received on the denial of a full-time position to a senior cancer researcher at University college, London; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: We have received no direct representations about Dr. Eva Link's position at University college, London.

Public Service Agreement Targets

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on the public service agreement targets for children to have normal spelling and language development at (a) 18 months and (b) three years.

Yvette Cooper: The only public service agreement target of this nature is that for Sure Start concerning children in Sure Start areas having normal speech and language skills at 18 months and three years. This is related to the previous PSA period 1998–99 to 2001–02, and has now been superseded with a similar target that can be better measured at a local level. The current Sure Start PSA target is:
	"To achieve by 2004 for children aged 0-three in the 500 Sure Start areas, a reduction of five percentage points in the number of children with speech and language problems requiring specialist intervention by the age of four."
	Improved speech and language development is a proxy measure for improving children's ability to learn as there is a strong positive relationship between normal speech and language development and readiness to learn. All Sure Start programmes work towards improving the speech and language skills of children under four. Systems are in place to monitor change in speech and language skills of young children in Sure Start areas and the first information on this will be available later next year.

Early Excellence Centres

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the cost is of the early excellence centres under her Department's pilot programme; and what assessment she has made of their value for money.

Stephen Timms: On 27 February we announced a major expansion of the Early Excellence Centre (EEC) programme, taking it out of its pilot phase, with plans to reach up to 100 centres by 2004. Funding for Early Excellence Centres comes from local sources, usually the local education authority, and through childcare and nursery education grants. The EEC programme typically provides additional resource to support a range of supplementary activities in line with the programme aims of disseminating good practice, delivering training and extending the scope and penetration of family services. So far, our contribution to EECs has been:
	
		£ 
		
			 Year Amount 
		
		
			 1997–98 123,000 
			 1998–99 1,800,000 
			 1999–2000 3,700,000 
			 2000–01 6,200,000 
		
	
	We plan further investment of:
	
		£ million 
		
			 Year Amount 
		
		
			 2001–02 13 
			 2002–03 16 
			 2003–04 18 
		
	
	The programme is being evaluated and we have published the first of three annual reports on the pilot phase. This shows that EECs have the potential for enhanced cost savings when compared with services that might otherwise have been provided separately. There is also powerful evidence demonstrating that EECs have made a positive difference to the lives of the children and families who use them, and affirming their role in supporting strategies for raising standards, increasing opportunities, supporting families, reducing social exclusion, increasing the health of the nation and addressing child poverty. The second year report is due to be published next spring.

Head Teachers (Misconduct)

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list, for each of the last five years, the number of (a) primary head teachers and (b) secondary head teachers dismissed on the grounds of gross professional misconduct.

Stephen Timms: DfES does not collect information about the reasons head teachers leave their posts.

Head Teachers (Misconduct)

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list, for each of the last five years, the total number of (a) primary head teachers and (b) secondary head teachers found guilty by their governing body of gross professional misconduct but not dismissed.

Stephen Timms: DfES does not collect information about those head teachers found guilty by their governing body of gross professional misconduct but not dismissed.

School Places

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what representations her Department has received from parents who have been denied a school place for their child as a result of the class size limits since their introduction.

Stephen Timms: We have received occasional representations from parents who believe they were not offered a place at a preferred school because of the infant class size limit. However, in implementing its infant class size pledge, the Government have funded a net increase of 12,000 places at popular schools. This has helped more parents get a place for their child at a school they have chosen.

Education Funding

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, pursuant to her answer of 7 November 2001, Official Report, column 239W, on education spending, for what period this information is available.

Stephen Timms: The table sets out the information which is available on a comparable basis. Since most capital is not and never has been devolved to schools and colleges, the percentage of recurrent funding devolved is higher than the total of capital and recurrent funding.
	
		
			  1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 
		
		
			 Percentage of total funding devolved to schools and colleges 79 78 79 
			 Percentage of total recurrent funding devolved to schools and colleges 84 84 84

School Exchanges (Russia)

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what information she has collated on how many school exchanges there have been between United Kingdom and Russian schools (a) in the current year and (b) since 1991.

Margaret Hodge: Information of this type is not collated centrally. School exchanges can be arranged by a wide range of organisations, such as individual schools, local education authorities, Government funded organisations, educational trusts etc. Accurate statistics could only be obtained from the schools themselves. This would involve disproportionate costs and an unnecessary additional burden on school administration.
	I can say, though, that I know from Department for Education and Skills funding of organisations such as the British Council that there is on-going activity between UK schools and those in Russia, both through exchange visits and, increasingly, Information and Communications Technology projects. We expect and will encourage this activity to continue to develop and grow.

Learning and Skills Councils

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how many people with political affiliations sit on learning and skills councils, broken down by major political party;
	(2)  what proportion of members on learning and skills councils have known political affiliations.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 13 November 2001
	Appointments to the LSC and its local arms have been made through fair and open competition, in accordance with guidance issued by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments (OCPA). We have sought to attract applications from individuals with a wide range of appropriate experience, regardless of any political affiliation they may have.
	We wrote to all English MPs last year, asking them to encourage suitable candidates to apply. The great majority of applicants for LSC membership and of those appointed as members decided that they had not been politically active within the last five years.
	145 (21 per cent.) of the 689 people who have been appointed and remain as members of the Learning and Skills Council declared political activity. These figures exclude Executive Directors of local Learning and Skills Councils as they were not required to declare political activity when applying for these posts.
	A breakdown by political party follows:
	
		
			  Appointed  (Percentage(20)) 
		
		
			  Total number appointed to the LSC: 689 
			
			 Conservative 21 (3.0) 
			 Labour 111 (16.1) 
			 Liberal Democrat 10 (1.5) 
			 Other 3 (0.4) 
			  
			 Total 145 (21.0) 
		
	
	(20) Figure in brackets is the percentage of the total number of appointees

Training and Enterprise Councils

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the total cost of administration of each of the former training and enterprise councils in each of the last three years.

Margaret Hodge: Information on the total cost of administration of the former training and enterprise councils is not available. The amount spent by TECs on administration and its disclosure were a matter for individual TECs and varied between them. Some TECs showed no administration costs within their statutory accounts under this heading, while most excluded the costs of staff involved in the direct delivery of their programmes. However, all TECs had to show staffing costs as a note within their accounts. While this understates administration costs, as it does not cover expenditure on premises, information technology and other support systems, it is the only available indicator for the information sought. I have therefore provided figures for the financial years 1997–98, 1998–99 and 1999–2000 showing spend on staffing costs of each of the former Training and Enterprise Councils (TECs) in England as stated in their consolidated annual statutory audited accounts for the full range of activity TECs undertook. This information is not yet available for 2000–01.
	Any direct comparison of staff costs between TECs is misleading, both because there is no statutory definition of staff costs and also because the range of training and enterprise activities differed between TECs.
	
		£ 
		
			   Staff costs  
			 TECS by region 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 
		
		
			  North East 
			 County Durham 2,418,663 2,445,110 2,264,783 
			 Northumberland 3,095,325 3,242,676 3,470,126 
			 Teesside 2,706,000 3,175,000 3,804,000 
			 Tyneside 4,887,000 5,373,000 5,191,000 
			 Sunderland 2,530,218 2,970,942 3,090,144 
			  
			 Total 15,637,206 17,206,728 17,820,053 
			 North West
			 Bolton/Bury 2,745,104 3,255,303 3,542,121 
			 Manchester 8,495,725 11,080,599 12,635,740 
			 Wigan 2,963,066 2,872,720 3,124,399 
			 Oldham 1,811,362 2,146,895 2,288,594 
			 Rochdale 1,193,879 1,499,157 1,675,210 
			 SECTEC 4,072,153 4,537,011 4,068,952 
			 Stockport 2,284,839 2,919,825 3,642,684 
			 Cumbria 4,148,320 4,348,398 4,167,719 
			 ELTEC 2,712,421 2,748,113 2,844,807 
			 LAWTEC 3,312,162 3,934,181 3,395,214 
			 NORMID 1,959,869 2,030,310 2,276,603 
			 CEWTEC 3,718,651 4,096,319 4,441,424 
			 Merseyside 5,003,540 5,981,867 6,924,000 
			 St. Helens 1,610,316 1,879,467 1,990,971 
			  
			 Total 46,031,407 53,330,165 57,018,438 
			 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside
			 Barnsley/Doncaster 2,445,000 2,974,000 3,328,000 
			 Bradford 2,102,648 2,272,563 2,267,865 
			 Calderdale/Kirklees 3,303,476 3,654,117 3,863,677 
			 Humberside 3,641,593 4,384,166 5,941,686 
			 Leeds 2,771,812 3,049,722 3,263,066 
			 North Yorks 2,009,000 2,418,000 2,871,000 
			 Rotherham 2,479,131 2,842,753 3,034,383 
			 Sheffield 3,160,000 4,215,000 3,704,000 
			 Wakefield 1,759,642 1,456,005 1,476,719 
			  
			 Total 23,672,302 27,266,326 29,750,396 
			 
			 Eastern
			 Bedfordshire 2,074,747 2,984,815 3,749,095 
			 Cambs 1,009,261 1,632,060 2,231,354 
			 Essex 2,619,000 2,832,000 4,154,000 
			 Greater Peterborough 2,253,241 2,830,365 2,881,068 
			 Hertfordshire 3,266,000 4,875,000 5,744,000 
			 Norfolk and Waveney 2,676,000 2,714,000 3,106,000 
			 Suffolk 1,415,769 1,488,925 2,076,086 
			  
			 Total 15,314,018 19,357,165 23,941,603 
			 
			 East Midlands
			 Greater Nottingham 1,442,000 1,738,000 2,313,000 
			 Leicester 2,053,777 2,190,371 2,834,946 
			 Lincolnshire 3,681,204 4,067,859 3,945,748 
			 Northamptonshire 1,825,258 2,228,847 2,628,728 
			 North Derbyshire 1,886,098 1,827,427 1,788,715 
			 North Nottinghamshire 2,298,889 2,525,876 2,969,381 
			 South Derbyshire 3,329,000 3,663,000 3,911,000 
			  
			 Total 16,516,226 18,241,380 20,391,518 
			 
			 West Midlands
			 Birmingham 3,306,000 4,115,000 4,911,000 
			 CENTEC 1,177,224 — — 
			 Coventry/Warwick 4,453,813 4,725,901 5,061,723 
			 Dudley 1,765,958 1,838,992 2,402,219 
			 HAWTEC 3,169,812 3,991,952 5,258,626 
			 Sandwell 2,077,656 2,406,903 2,587,877 
			 Shropshire 1,897,373 2,000,996 2,055,106 
			 Staffordshire 2,461,000 2,682,000 3,459,000 
			 Walsall 1,580,134 1,727,060 2,197,035 
			 Wolverhampton 2,022,000 2,203,000 2,156,000 
			  
			 Total 23,910,970 25,691,804 30,088,586 
			 
			 South West
			 WESTEC 2,425,000 2,017,000 2,342,000 
			 Prosper 5,559,000 6,296,000 8,282,000 
			 Dorset 1,518,023 1,939,118 2,198,014 
			 Gloucester 1,939,644 2,879,008 3,172,585 
			 Somerset 1,618,554 2,648,489 2,813,010 
			 Wiltshire 1,492,318 1,501,086 1,571,918 
			  
			 Total 14,552,539 17,280,701 20,379,527 
			 London
			 AZTEC 1,609,045 2,002,548 2,714,681 
			 FOCUS 5,371,000 6,259,000 6,368,000 
			 LETEC 4,521,474 4,898,407 5,617,403 
			 North London 2,991,331 3,750,158 4,408,581 
			 North West London 1,512,188 1,967,655 2,726,005 
			 SOLOTEC 4,174,000 5,492,000 4,851,000 
			 West London 5,684,669 5,583,113 5,244,201 
			  
			 Total 25,863,707 29,952,881 31,929,871 
			 
			 South East
			 Hampshire 3,474,000 4,399,000 4,867,000 
			 Isle of Wight 733,424 1,241,925 1,582,489 
			 Kent 3,624,774 4,138,710 6,315,951 
			 Milton Keynes 2,940,610 3,022,377 3,302,090 
			 Heart of England 2,146,037 2,354,176 2,483,181 
			 Surrey 1,827,970 2,037,138 2,259,269 
			 Sussex 3,619,000 3,952,000 4,229,000 
			 Thames Valley 3,757,432 4,037,146 4,432,670 
			  
			 Total 22,123,247 25,182,472 29,471,650 
			 
			 Grand Total 203,621,622 233,509,622 260,791,642

Higher Education

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of school leavers (a) in the Wycombe constituency and (b) nationally entered higher education in each of the last four years.

Margaret Hodge: Figures for the number of school leavers who go on to higher education are not collated centrally on a constituency basis. The available figures for Great Britain, showing the proportion of under 21-year- olds who enter higher education for the first time, are given in the table. The increase in the index in 1997–98 related partly to changes in the funding arrangements for higher education, with students choosing to enter HE rather than wait until 1998–99. There was a corresponding reduction in 1998–99 before the entry rates started to increase again in 1999–2000. Between 1997–98 and 2000–01, total HE students in English universities and colleges rose by 83,000.
	
		Age participation index (API)(21) for Great Britain
		
			 Year API (percentage) 
		
		
			 1997–98 33 
			 1998–99 31 
			 1999–2000 32 
			 2000–01(22) 32–34 
		
	
	(21) The API is defined as the number of GB domiciled initial entrants to full-time and sandwich undergraduate HE aged under 21, expressed as a percentage of the average number of 18 and 19 year olds in the population.
	(22) Projected: final data on initial entrants are not yet available.

Teachers' Salaries (London)

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will publish the average salary of a teacher in London over the last 10 years.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 14 November 2001
	The average salary of teachers 1 in the maintained schools sector 2 in London were as follows:
	
		
			 Year £ 
		
		
			 1990 16,600 
			 1991 18,600 
			 1992 20,800 
			 1993 22,400 
			 1994 22,700 
			 1995 23,200 
			 1996 23,700 
			 1997 24,500 
			 1998 25,100 
			 1999(25) 26,200 
			 2000(25) 27,200 
		
	
	(23) All grades including heads and deputy heads.
	(24) Excludes sixth form colleges.
	(25) Provisional data.

Literacy

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what his estimate is of the number of children who were judged to be illiterate on leaving school in England in the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: holding answer 14 November 2001
	99 per cent. of 15-year-olds have achieved a GCSE pass in English in each of the last three years. However, no separate assessment has been made of literacy rates among school leavers. The Government are committed to raising standards of literacy, particularly through the successful National Literacy Strategy in primary schools and the new Key Stage 3 Strategy in secondary schools.

Fast-track Teacher Recruitment

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many applications were received; how many applicants were accepted; how many applicants commenced training; and how many have failed to complete training in each of the years since the establishment of the fast-track teacher recruitment scheme.

Stephen Timms: The first round of recruitment to the Fast Track Teaching Programme was completed in Spring 2001. Over 40,000 inquiries were received by phone and internet; 1,574 applications were received; 135 places were offered to successful applicants; 111 chose to take up their places in September 2001 and a further nine deferred their places for a year. Three have withdrawn since the beginning of the academic year.

Teacher Training

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what was the cost of providing an internet- based application system for post-graduate teacher training.

Stephen Timms: The total cost of the Graduate Teacher Training Registry's electronic applications service was £146,640, including value added tax.

Teacher Training

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how many rejected applicants for fast-track teaching were subsequently placed on other post-graduate teacher training programmes through the Graduate Teacher Training Register; what was the total additional resource allocation for this purpose; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  how many applicants who were rejected by the fast-track teaching scheme were referred to the Graduate Teacher Training Register for placement on other teacher training programmes for 2001–02.

Stephen Timms: There were 1,574 applicants to the Fast-Track Teaching programme in the first round. Details of 677 unsuccessful applicants were passed on to the Graduate Teacher Training Register (GTTR); of whom 105 secured places on other post-graduate teacher training programmes in 2001–02. The cost of processing these candidates through GTTR was £12,186 and was borne by the Teacher Training Agency.

Teacher Training

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many students took part in the graduate training scheme for teachers in (a) 1998, (b) 1999, (c) 2000 and (d) 2001.

Stephen Timms: The table contains the numbers of people who started the Graduate Teacher Programme (GTP) during the calendar years 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2001:
	
		
			   Number of new entrants 
		
		
			 1998 305 
			 1999 591 
			 2000 1,185 
			 2001 2,249 
		
	
	Note:
	The Graduate Teacher Programme started in January 1998. The figures exclude overseas trained teachers.
	Source:
	Teacher Training Agency
	Trainees on the Graduate Teacher Programme can enter the programme throughout the academic year.

Teacher Training

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many applications were received by the Graduate Teacher Training Register for postgraduate teacher training for the year 2001–02; how many applications were successful; how many applicants commenced training; and what was the cost per student of placing them on a graduate teacher training register scheme.

Stephen Timms: The Graduate Teacher Training Registry (GTTR) received a total of 37,963 1 applications, for postgraduate initial teacher training courses starting in 2001–02 in England. Of those, 20,041 2 were accepted. The Teacher Training Agency's Initial Teacher Training (ITT) Trainees Numbers Census recorded a total of 21,140 3 new entrants on postgraduate ITT courses in England, for 2001–02. Not all entrants to postgraduate ITT courses apply through the GTTR.
	The cost of placing a student on a GTTR scheme is not collected centrally.
	1 This the provisional end of year figure for applications to postgraduate ITT courses in England, from GTTR.
	2 This is the provisional end of year figure for accepted applications to postgraduate ITT courses in England, from GTTR.
	3 This is the provisional total from the TTA's ITT Trainee Numbers Census.

Road Noise (Classrooms)

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what guidelines she sets for the maximum level of background road noise in (a) classrooms and (b) classrooms in schools with special needs.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 15 November 2001
	The Education (School Premises) Regulations 1999 state that
	"Each room or other space in a school building shall have the acoustic conditions and the insulation against disturbance by noise appropriate to its normal use."
	For new school buildings, the Department has published Building Bulletin 87 "Guidelines for Environmental Design in Schools". This contains the following acoustic standards.
	(a) Table 1a gives the recommended maximum background noise levels, from adjacent areas, ventilation and traffic noise, for various types of spaces found in schools. The figure quoted for general teaching, seminar and tutorial rooms and classbases is 40 dB Laeq,1hr.
	(b) In specialist accommodation for pupils with hearing impairments, in special schools and in special units in mainstream schools, the maximum background noise level should be at least 10 dB lower than the figures given in Table 1a.

Education School Standards Framework Act

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans she has to reform the Education School Standards and Framework Act 1998; and if she will make a statement.

Estelle Morris: As announced in the Queen's Speech, the Government intend to introduce an Education Bill during this Parliamentary session, in order to implement the White Paper "Schools—achieving success". The Bill is in preparation and will include amendments to a number of Education Acts, including the School Standards and Framework Act.

Graduate Training Scheme

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many schools took part in the graduate training scheme for teachers in (a) 1998, (b) 1999, (c) 2000 and (d) 2001.

Stephen Timms: The information is not readily available. Participants in the Graduate Teacher Programme may work in more than one school during their training in order to enhance the range of experience that they gain.

School Admissions (Religious Practice)

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what guidance she gives on school admissions arrangements that require children and their families to have practised a specified religion.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 16 November 2001
	Admission authorities for schools determine their own admission arrangements, which must comply with all relevant legislation and have regard to guidance in the Code of Practice on School Admissions, which was approved by Parliament.
	Schools supported by religious foundations have generally been set up on trust deeds, which require them to serve their faith adherents. Their governing bodies must conduct the school in accordance with the terms of the trust deed, providing this does not conflict with general legislation.
	Such schools may give priority for admission to members of their particular faith or denomination. Where they do, their admission arrangements should make clear whether a statement of religious affiliation or commitment would be sufficient; whether it is to be "tested" for admission purposes and if so, how; and what, if any, references would be required and how they will be used.

Teacher Vacancies (Maintained Schools)

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many teacher vacancies there were in maintained schools in each local education authority area at the beginning of the current school term.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 16 November 2001
	The information is not available for September 2001. Full-time teacher vacancies in the maintained schools sector in January 2001 in England were as follows:
	
		
			   Teacher vacancies Vacancy rate (%) 
		
		
			 Gateshead 6 0.4 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 19 0.9 
			 North Tyneside 14 0.8 
			 South Tyneside 0 0.0 
			 Sunderland 20 0.8 
			 Hartlepool 5 0.6 
			 Middlesbrough 20 1.7 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 18 1.5 
			 Stockton on Tees 15 0.9 
			 Durham 37 0.9 
			 Darlington 8 1.1 
			 Northumberland 0 0.0 
			 Bolton 7 0.3 
			 Bury 4 0.3 
			 Manchester 0 0.0 
			 Oldham 16 0.7 
			 Rochdale 5 0.3 
			 Salford 4 0.2 
			 Stockport 25 1.2 
			 Tameside 23 1.3 
			 Trafford 0 0.0 
			 Wigan 11 0.4 
			 Cheshire 25 0.5 
			 Halton 6 0.6 
			 Warrington 11 0.7 
			 Lancashire 61 0.7 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 19 1.6 
			 Blackpool 5 0.5 
			 Cumbria 6 0.2 
			 Knowsley 12 0.8 
			 Liverpool 0 0.0 
			 St. Helens 8 0.5 
			 Sefton 15 0.6 
			 Wirral 20 0.7 
			 Barnsley 20 1.3 
			 Doncaster 10 0.4 
			 Rotherham 1 — 
			 Sheffield 14 0.4 
			 Bradford 0 0.0 
			 Calderdale 7 0.4 
			 Kirklees 10 0.3 
			 Leeds 47 0.8 
			 Wakefield 14 0.5 
			 Kingston-upon-Hull, City of 8 0.4 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 6 0.3 
			 North East Lincolnshire 20 1.6 
			 North Lincolnshire 10 0.8 
			 North Yorkshire 12 0.3 
			 York 6 0.5 
			 Derbyshire 45 0.9 
			 Derby 16 0.9 
			 Leicestershire 30 0.7 
			 Leicester 42 1.8 
			 Rutland 0 0.0 
			 Lincolnshire 20 0.4 
			 Northamptonshire 20 0.4 
			 Nottinghamshire 0 0.0 
			 Nottingham 41 2.2 
			 Birmingham 83 0.9 
			 Coventry 24 1.0 
			 Dudley 28 1.1 
			 Sandwell 49 2.0 
			 Solihull 32 1.7 
			 Walsall 17 0.7 
			 Wolverhampton 32 1.6 
			 Herefordshire 18 1.6 
			 Worcestershire 8 0.2 
			 Shropshire 4 0.2 
			 Telford and Wrekin 5 0.4 
			 Staffordshire 40 0.6 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 20 1.1 
			 Warwickshire 42 1.2 
			 Cambridgeshire 3 0.1 
			 Peterborough 7 0.5 
			 Norfolk 71 1.3 
			 Suffolk 89 1.8 
			 Bedfordshire 76 2.6 
			 Luton 63 4.2 
			 Essex 220 2.3 
			 Southend-on-Sea 24 2.0 
			 Thurrock 69 6.9 
			 Hertfordshire 50 0.6 
			 City of London 0 0.0 
			 Camden 59 5.2 
			 Greenwich 63 3.6 
			 Hackney 101 8.0 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 49 5.9 
			 Islington 56 5.0 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 36 6.6 
			 Lambeth 51 3.7 
			 Lewisham 71 4.2 
			 Southwark 100 6.0 
			 Tower Hamlets 157 8.6 
			 Wandsworth 53 3.7 
			 Westminster 49 4.8 
			 Barking and Dagenham 24 1.7 
			 Barnet 100 4.4 
			 Bexley 85 4.8 
			 Brent 23 1.2 
			 Bromley 63 2.9 
			 Croydon 77 3.2 
			 Ealing 66 3.4 
			 Enfield 65 2.7 
			 Haringey 43 2.5 
			 Harrow 58 4.5 
			 Havering 38 2.2 
			 Hillingdon 52 2.7 
			 Hounslow 18 1.0 
			 Kingston upon Thames 23 2.5 
			 Merton 18 1.7 
			 Newham 103 4.6 
			 Redbridge 40 2.0 
			 Richmond upon Thames 30 3.5 
			 Sutton 10 0.7 
			 Waltham Forest 7 0.4 
			 Bracknell Forest 16 2.4 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 34 3.9 
			 West Berkshire 10 0.9 
			 Reading 37 4.4 
			 Slough 62 6.7 
			 Wokingham 18 1.6 
			 Buckinghamshire 59 1.8 
			 Milton Keynes 21 1.3 
			 East Sussex 43 1.4 
			 Brighton and Hove 17 1.1 
			 Hampshire 175 2.2 
			 Portsmouth 59 4.5 
			 Southampton 50 3.4 
			 Isle of Wight 7 0.7 
			 Kent 196 2.0 
			 Medway 51 2.6 
			 Oxfordshire 16 0.4 
			 Surrey 104 1.6 
			 West Sussex 82 1.6 
			 Isles of Scilly 0 0.0 
			 Bath and North East Somerset 9 0.7 
			 City of Bristol 25 1.0 
			 North Somerset 7 0.5 
			 South Gloucestershire 7 0.4 
			 Cornwall 0 0.0 
			 Devon 47 1.1 
			 Plymouth 1 — 
			 Torbay 9 1.0 
			 Dorset 18 0.7 
			 Poole 19 2.0 
			 Bournemouth 7 0.7 
			 Gloucestershire 14 0.3 
			 Somerset 11 0.3 
			 Wiltshire 19 0.7 
			 Swindon 20 1.5 
			 England 4,976 1.4

Class Sizes

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what guidance she gives to (a) schools and (b) local education authorities on the course of action to be adopted where it appears necessary for infants to be taught in classes of more than 30 pupils.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 16 November 2001
	Since September 2001 schools and local education authorities have been responsible for ensuring that infant classes for 5, 6 and 7 year olds are limited to 30 or fewer except where permitted by legislation.
	How schools organise their classes is a matter for agreement between the LEA and the schools. The Department has issued no guidance to LEAs or schools on how classes which exceed the limit for permitted reasons should be organised.

Fair Trade Goods

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what her Department's policy is in relation to departmental spending for supplies concerning the purchase of fair trade goods.

Ivan Lewis: holding answer 16 November 2001
	The Department for Education and Skills takes every opportunity, like the Department for International Development (DFID), to promote fair trade products and also to support ethical trading in mainstream business. DfES seeks prices for both fair trade and non-fair trade products from suppliers during tender exercises for the provision of catering services. In line with Government procurement policy the evaluation of tenders is based on value for money considerations having due regard to propriety and regularity. We also encourage our current catering providers to offer fair trade products as an option to customers in staff restaurants.

Neighbourhood Renewal

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the cost is in 2001–02 of the implementation of recommendations in the social exclusion unit's report on neighbourhood renewal.

Sally Keeble: I have been asked to reply
	The National Strategy Action Plan for Neighbourhood Renewal aims to develop common goals including better health, skills, housing and physical environment, and to narrow the gap on these measures between the most deprived neighbourhoods and the rest of the country. If these aims are to be fulfilled, efforts to provide direct support to deprived neighbourhoods must be combined with efforts to "bend" mainstream programmes that provide funding to ensure that challenges faced by deprived areas can be addressed. To this end the Government will be spending an additional £43 billion a year on core public services by 2004. The costs of implementing the recommendations on neighbourhood renewal are embedded in these and the other billions of pounds spent by Government Departments, and it would involve disproportionate costs to disaggregate this expenditure.

Internet Access

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on the number of schools with internet access (a) nationally and (b) in boroughs of (i) Middlesbrough, (ii) Redcar and (iii) Cleveland; and what were the Department's targets in each case.

John Healey: Statistics published by the Department for Education and Skills in October show that 97 per cent. of schools in England are now connected to the internet; significant progress from a position where only 28 per cent. were connected in 1998. Our target is that every school should have access to the internet in 2002.
	The Department does not maintain information about internet access in schools on a regional or local basis.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Sellafield

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will publish the latest OCNS advice on the manufacture and transportation of nuclear material to and from the MOX site at Sellafield.

Margaret Beckett: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and I decided on 3 October that MOX manufacture is justified under the Basic Safety Standards Directive. We took account of all relevant issues up to that date, including security considerations. A copy of our decision is in the Library, including a summary of some of the main considerations taken into account. The advice of the Office for Civil Nuclear Security is contained in the decision document. Paragraph 67–69 of the document and paragraphs 25–33 of Annexe 1 describe security issues in detail.

Meat Hygiene Service

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the impact of Meat Hygiene Service charges on the profitability and operation of small to medium-sized abattoirs.

Elliot Morley: Following the introduction of revised meat hygiene service charges for abattoirs on 1 April this year there has been no assessment made on their impact to small and medium-sized abattoirs. There is no doubt that there will be positive benefits for small and medium-sized abattoirs but it is too early to assess how the revised charging system will affect their profitability or future operation. Despite the reduction in abattoir numbers over recent years there remains considerable over-capacity in the slaughtering sector and a reasonable spread of abattoirs across most parts of the country. A recent study by the Meat and Livestock Commission found that, while larger abattoirs accounted for over 80 per cent. of the slaughterings of pigs and sheep in 2000–01, small and medium abattoirs increased their share of the numbers of cattle slaughtered. This stood at 46 per cent. in larger abattoirs.

Cod Stocks

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent measures she has taken, and what further measures she plans to take, to preserve cod stocks.

Margaret Beckett: holding answer 26 October 2001
	The United Kingdom has played a full part with the Commission and the other member states concerned in developing the second stage of the cod recovery programme for the North sea and west of Scotland. These revised requirements come into force from 1 January 2002. The UK fishing industry has also been involved closely with the process.
	We stand ready to play a similar part in taking forward the Irish sea cod recovery programme on which we expect a proposal from the Commission, shortly, for a repeat of the spring spawning closure. We also expect the Commission to bring forward additional ideas to progress the recovery plan for the northern hake stock.

Flood Defences

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the annual grant to the Environment Agency for flood defence work has been in each of the last four years in (a) current and (b) real terms; what the projected figures for the remainder of the planning period are; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: holding answer 26 October 2001
	My Department provides funding to the Environment Agency, local authorities and internal drainage boards for capital works that meet essential criteria and has also in recent years made funds available to the agency for other initiatives, for example to assist with flood risk public awareness and recently to assist in meeting the extra costs for emergency response and repair associated with last year's floods, and special funding for the design and feasibility costs of river defences.
	Allocations to individual authorities, such as the agency, within the total provision depends on the plans identified by those authorities and assessment against the Department's priority score arrangements. Actual outturn reflects the authorities' ability to deliver those plans. Allocations are decided in advance of the start of each financial year and I have just announced those for 2002–03. Therefore separate figures for the Environment Agency are not available for 2003–04 but otherwise the figures requested are:
	
		Environment agency -- £ million
		
			   Current prices  
			  Grants on capital works Contributions on other initiatives Total Real prices(26) Total 
		
		
			  Actual outturn:   
			 1997–98(28) 43.0 0.0 43.0 43.0 
			 1998–99 33.5 0.3 33.8 32.7 
			 1999–2000 31.8 1.2 33.0 31.4 
			 2000–01 26.4 15.5 41.9 38.7 
			  
			  Current allocation:   
			 2001–02 44.0 19.1 63.1 (27)56.9 
			 2002–03 61.0 4.0 65.0 (27)57.2 
		
	
	(26) Using Retail Prices Index with the base year set to 1997
	(27) Expected future RPI increasing at 2.5 per cent. per annum
	(28) Allocation for this year was increased significantly in year by the redistribution of funds from elsewhere in the Department

British Waterways

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to visit rivers managed by British Waterways.

Michael Meacher: My noble Friend Lord Whitty visited the River Trent at Nottingham with British Waterways on 22 October. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has no current plans to visit rivers managed by British Waterways, but would like to do so at a future date if practicable.

Livestock Welfare Disposal Scheme

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to change the level of the payments made under the livestock welfare disposal scheme; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: holding answer 1 November 2001
	My noble Friend Lord Whitty announced new rates of payment on Monday 29 October, applicable to applications posted on or after 30 October.

Agriculture

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her estimate is of the total financial support from public funds for (a) United Kingdom and (b) English agriculture (i) directly and (ii) indirectly in each year since 1990–91.

Elliot Morley: The table provided gives estimates of (a) expenditure on CAP market support measures and (b) direct payments to the agricultural sector in the UK from 1990–91 to 2000–01. Equivalent data for England could be provided only at disproportionate cost. In any case, expenditure on market support measures, eg export refunds and intervention stock costs, could not be meaningfully allocated to particular regions.
	
		£ million 
		
			   Of which:  
			  Total public expenditure on agriculture in the UK Expenditure on CAP market support measures Expenditure on direct payments to the agriculture sector 
		
		
			 1990–91 1,910 1,262 647 
			 1991–92 1,959 1,183 776 
			 1992–93 2,003 1,050 953 
			 1993–94 2,869 1,076 1,792 
			 1994–95 2,512 454 2,058 
			 1995–96 2,897 457 2,440 
			 1996–97 4,318 1,621 2,697 
			 1997–98 3,583 1,281 2,302 
			 1998–99 3,482 1,013 2,469 
			 1999–2000 3,161 710 2,451 
			 2000–01(f) 3,182 761 2,421

Hill Farmers

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the (a) number and (b) percentage of hill farmers in England who have second jobs outside farming; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: Our information on farmers with second jobs is incomplete and limited to farms of sufficient size to occupy a full-time farmer. From the data which are available, we believe that the proportion of such hill farmers in England with second jobs off-farm is in line with the national average for all 'full-time' farms of just under 10 per cent.

Animal Health Bill

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she has taken to consult (a) the farming community, (b) conservation groups and (c) the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals on the Animal Health Bill.

Margaret Beckett: holding answer 5 November 2001
	To ensure that we are prepared for any emergency we have had to act swiftly in preparing this legislation. There has not therefore been time to consult our stakeholders in the way that we normally would.
	We nevertheless intend to consult representatives of those who are affected by these measures on how they will apply in practice. On foot and mouth disease in particular we will be consulting on the detail of the disease risk assessment, which is central to the new arrangements for compensation on infected premises.
	On TSEs, the national scrapie plan was subject to consultation in July 2000. That exercise indicated that genotyping would become compulsory at a future unspecified date. We will, however, consult organisations representing the sheep industry about the detailed use that should be made of the new compulsory genotyping powers and their timing.

Fuel Poverty

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the numbers of fuel poor households in England containing people aged 60 years or over under each of the definitions set out in the draft fuel poverty strategy; what estimate she has made of the number of older fuel poor households who are not eligible for a grant under the new home energy efficiency scheme; and what measures she will take to help these households improve their energy efficiency.

Michael Meacher: The two main definitions of fuel poverty used are:
	(a) A household is in fuel poverty if, in order to maintain a satisfactory heating regime, it would be required to spend more than 10 per cent. of its income on all household fuel use.
	(b) A household is in fuel poverty if, in order to maintain a satisfactory heating regime, it would be required to spend more than 10 per cent. of its income (excluding housing benefit and income support for mortgage interest) on all household fuel use.
	The table uses data from the 1998 English House Condition Energy Follow-Up Survey (EFUS) to show the estimated number of fuel poor households aged 60 or more in social and private sector housing.
	
		Million 
		
			  Number of fuel poor households aged 60 or more in social sector housing Number of fuel poor households aged 60 or more in private sector housing 
		
		
			 Using definition (a) 0.5 1.4 
			 Using definition (b) 0.8 1.5 
		
	
	All fuel poor households in the social housing sector will be assisted by the separate housing programmes designed to bring all such properties up to decent standard by 2010.
	Following a transition period, the Home Energy Efficiency Scheme (now marketed as the Warm Front Team) is now solely focused on private sector housing. All households aged 60 or more living in this sector and in receipt of one of the main income or disability-related benefits are eligible for assistance from HEES.
	Neither the 1996 English House Condition Survey, nor the 1998 EFUS, collected enough information to estimate the number of fuel poor households aged 60 or more in private sector housing that are ineligible for HEES as they do not receive an income or disability-related benefit. Such households are eligible for other assistance with energy efficiency, for example, through improvements under programmes operated by energy suppliers under the Energy Efficiency Standards of Performance (EESoPs) until 31 March 2002, and the Energy Efficiency Commitment (EEC) from 1 April next year, and may be eligible for improvement grants from local authorities.
	My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions is also considering measures to encourage those aged 60 or more to claim the benefits to which they are entitled. These would further reduce the number of older households that are in fuel poverty but may not be eligible for HEES.

Fuel Poverty

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the (a) number and (b) percentage of English households containing people who are aged 60 years or over and claiming a means-tested benefit which are fuel poor under the two definitions set out in the draft fuel poverty strategy.

Michael Meacher: holding answer 6 November 2001
	The two main definitions of fuel poverty used are: (a) A household is in fuel poverty if, in order to maintain a satisfactory heating regime, it would be required to spend more than 10 per cent. of its income on all household fuel use.
	(b) A household is in fuel poverty if, in order to maintain a satisfactory heating regime, it would be required to spend more than 10 per cent. of its income (excluding housing benefit and income support for mortgage interest) on all household fuel use,.
	Using data from the 1998 English House Condition Energy Follow-Up Survey (EFUS) it is estimated that the total number of fuel poor households aged 60 or more was 1.9 million under the definition at (a); or 2.3 million using the definition at (b).
	Neither the 1996 English House Condition Survey nor the 1998 EFUS collected enough information to allow an estimate to be made of the number of fuel poor households that are in receipt of an income-related benefit. The 2001 EHCS will be the first to allow such an estimate to be made, with the initial results expected in autumn 2002.

Fuel Poverty

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the number of households containing people aged 60 years and over in England who do not have central heating, and the (a) number and (b) percentage of such households which are fuel poor under the two definitions set out in the draft fuel poverty strategy.

Michael Meacher: holding answer 6 November 2001
	Using data from the English House Condition Energy Follow-Up Survey (EFUS), the table sets out the estimated number of households that in 1998 did not have central heating. It also shows the number of these regarded as fuel poor against the two main definitions:
	(a) A household is in fuel poverty if, in order to maintain a satisfactory heating regime, it would be required to spend more than 10 per cent. of its income on all household fuel use.
	(b) A household is in fuel poverty if, in order to maintain a satisfactory heating regime, it would be required to spend more than 10 per cent. of its income (excluding housing benefit and income support for mortgage interest) on all household fuel use.
	
		Million 
		
			 Group Number of households 
		
		
			 Total number of households aged 60 or more in England 6.5 
			   
			 Total number of households aged 60 or more in England that do not have central heating 1.7 
			   
			 Total number of households aged 60 or more in England that do not have central heating and are regarded as fuel poor using the definition at (a) above (29)0.8 
			   
			 Total number of households aged 60 or more in England that do not have central heating and are regarded as fuel poor using the definition at (b) above (30)0.9 
		
	
	(29) 47 per cent. of all households aged 60 or more that do not have central heating.
	(30) 53 per cent. of all households aged 60 or more that do not have central heating.

Fuel Poverty

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much of the £260 million of funding for the home energy efficiency scheme has been spent on people living in fuel poverty.

Michael Meacher: The Home Energy Efficiency Scheme (HEES) was launched on 1 June 2000 and is designed to tackle the problem of fuel poverty. It offers packages of insulation and heating improvements to those households most vulnerable to cold-related ill health: low-income older people, families with children, the disabled and the long-term sick.
	The scheme does not attempt to assess whether each individual householder falls within the definition of fuel poverty, which would be impractical. Instead it assumes that receipt of one of the main income or disability benefits suggests that the household may be at risk. It is therefore not possible to identify how many of the 250,000 householders assisted to date were in fuel poverty at the time. However, we are confident that they were vulnerable to cold-related ill-health and at risk of fuel poverty.
	A study of the scheme is planned over the next two years and will provide information on the nature of the householder assisted.

Water and Sewerage Services (Worcestershire)

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the implications of recent price settlements imposed by Ofwat on investment in water and sewerage services in Worcestershire; and if she will make a statement.

Michael Meacher: In 1999 the Director General of Water Services (Ofwat) determined price limits for water and sewerage companies in England and Wales for the five years beginning on 1 April 2000. Worcestershire is within the area served by Severn Trent Water. In setting price limits for Severn Trent Water, the Director General made provision for an annual average capital investment of £391 million (May 1999 prices) over the five year review period. This is set out in "Future water and sewerage charges 2000–05" in the House of Commons Library. Within this framework companies decide their priorities for meeting their planned outputs.

Condensing Boilers

Win Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the (a) energy saving and (b) pollution cutting potential of replacing conventional boilers in the UK with condensing boilers.

Michael Meacher: holding answer 8 November 2001
	The Government are keen to promote the installation of condensing boilers when conventional ones are replaced. The benefits of condensing boilers are likely to be attractive to energy suppliers in meeting their requirements under the Energy Efficiency Commitment for 2002–05. Under the Home Energy Efficiency Scheme (HEES) the new central heating systems provided use condensing boilers whenever possible.
	The energy and carbon savings, which could be achieved if the entire UK stock of conventional boilers were replaced by condensing boilers, are estimated to be as follows:
	
		
			 Building type Energy savings(31) Carbon savings(32) 
		
		
			 Domestic stock   
			 Gas fired 257 3.78 
			 Oil fired 15.5 0.3 
			 Commercial and public sector 50 0.8 
			 Industrial 10 0.15 
			  
			 Total 332.5 5.03 
		
	
	(31) Peta joules/year
	(32) Million tonnes of carbon/year

Border Inspection Posts

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what powers she has to monitor the effectiveness and performance of border inspection posts.

Margaret Beckett: holding answer 8 November 2001
	The local authority are responsible for ensuring that the checks at border inspection posts (BIPs) are carried out to the standards specified in community legislation.
	The Products of Animal Origin (Import and Export) Regulations 1996 contains provision for an authorised officer (of the Minister) to audit the local authorities' operation of border inspection posts. This includes checking whether staff comply with the requirements of the regulations, taking samples and the examination of documentary or computer material.
	The regulations also require the local authority to provide detailed information on the products checked at the BIP and the outcome of those checks.
	Local authorities are required to report on these activities through the Divisional Veterinary Managers of DEFRA. DEFRA staff work closely with the authorities in carrying out these inspection responsibilities.
	The Food Standards Agency commenced an audit programme of local authorities on 1 April 2001 and where applicable this will include an audit of the BIP.

Countryside Access

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the separate commencement dates made under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 to allow access to the open countryside as soon as practicable after the conclusive maps have been completed and approved for each region.

Alun Michael: The following provisions in Part 1 of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 came into force on 30 January 2001: section 1 and Schedule 1, sections 3 to 11 and Schedule 3, sections 15 to 17, section 19, Chapters II and III, and sections 40 to 45. The commencement of these provisions enabled the Countryside Agency to begin preparation of and consultation on draft maps of open country and registered common land.
	The right of access, in section 2(1), has not yet been brought into effect. We are committed to opening up all open country and registered common land by the end of 2005, but the Act allows for the right to be commenced at different times in different areas, so it would be possible to give people new rights of access to some areas of land before then. I am considering the option of regional commencement, and hope to make an announcement on this before the end of the year.

Water Conservation

Jonathan Sayeed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent action she has taken to promote water conservation; and if she will make a statement.

Michael Meacher: The Government promote water efficiency by a variety of means including through the Environment Agency's National Water Demand Management Centre, the Water Fittings Regulations, Envirowise, the Market Transformation programme, the Buying Agency's Watermark project, leakage targets for water companies, maintenance of a database of water efficiency research, and through on-going discussions with Ofwat, the Environment Agency and the water industry. The draft Water Bill contains provisions for a new duty on water undertakers to take water efficiency into account in the full range of their plans and activities.

Landfill Tax

Jonathan Sayeed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what environmental projects have been successfully completed as a result of revenue from the landfill tax credit scheme in (a) 1999–2000 and (b) 2000–01.

Michael Meacher: Detailed information on individual projects and the amount of funding they have received is available from ENTRUST, the regulatory body for the landfill tax credit scheme.
	The numbers of completed projects in the years 1999, 2000 and 2001 are:
	
		
			 Category 1999 2000 2001 
		
		
			 A Reclamation of contaminated land 15 19 9 
			 B Reduction/prevention of pollution of land 2 6 0 
			 C Sustainable waste management 188 225 165 
			 D Provision of public parks and amenities 722 994 763 
			 E Restoration of historical buildings 188 309 244 
			 F Provision of services between environmental bodies 2 1 2

Waste Management

Jonathan Sayeed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent action the Government have taken to minimise waste in the UK; and if she will make a statement.

Michael Meacher: Tackling the amount of waste produced is the first priority in the hierarchy for waste management decisions set out in the Government's Waste Strategy 2000. Action already taken aimed at encouraging waste minimisation includes Government support for the National Waste Awareness Initiative and guidance to local authorities on their powers under the Waste Minimisation Act 1998.
	The Government have implemented the Packaging Directive and a voluntary agreement on newsprint. Further legislation on electrical and electronic equipment and batteries will follow, and a voluntary agreement on direct mail. These are all designed to reduce the amount of waste arising from these products.
	The Envirowise programme, jointly funded by DTI and DEFRA, supports policy objectives to reduce waste and increase efforts to reduce waste at source (eg by more efficient use of raw materials) through advice to businesses.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Jonathan Sayeed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the International Energy Agency report, Spain 2001, in relation to the ability of EU member states to address their greenhouse gas emissions obligations; and if she will make a statement.

Michael Meacher: Spain's target under the Kyoto protocol is to limit greenhouse gas emissions to 15 per cent. over 1990 levels by 2008–12. Until Spain publishes its climate change programme, it is not possible to comment on Spain's progress towards meeting its target.
	The European Community and its member states are already taking action to ensure that they meet their respective targets under the Kyoto protocol. Between 1990 and 1998, the Community's emissions fell by 2.5 per cent. More work is needed to reach the Community's target reduction of 8 per cent. below 1990 levels by 2008–12, but this is in hand both at the member state and Community level.

Climate Change

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she has taken to encourage United States participation in the climate change negotiations in Marrakech.

Michael Meacher: The United States participated in the negotiations in Marrakech as a party to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. It is important that the United States remain engaged in global efforts to tackle climate change. We have kept the door open for them should they decide to re-engage with the Kyoto process in the future, and we are encouraging them to take domestic action consistent with the aims of Kyoto in the meantime. We take every appropriate opportunity to raise climate change with the US. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State discussed climate change in meetings with Christine Todd Whitman, Administrator of the US Environmental Protection Agency, on 1 November and in a meeting on 8 November in Marrakech, with Paula Dobriansky, the Under Secretary for Global Affairs, Department of State. We expect this dialogue with the US to continue.

SSSIs

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many sites of special scientific interest there are in the Buckingham constituency.

Michael Meacher: There are 17 SSSIs wholly within the constituency and four partly within it.
	The SSSIs wholly within the constituency are:
	Foxcote Reservoir
	Tingewick Meadows
	Pilch fields
	Sheephouse Wood
	Finemere Wood
	Grendon and Doddershall Woods
	Ham Home-cum-Ham Green Woods
	Long Herdon Meadow
	Rushbeds Woods and Railway cutting
	Bugle Quarry
	Stone
	Warren Farm, Stewkley
	Pokers Pond Meadow
	Muswell Hill
	Pitstone Hill
	Pitstone Quarry
	Ivinghoe Hills.
	Four SSSIs partly within the constituency are
	Ashridge Common and Woods
	Shabbington Woods complex
	Whitecross Green and Oriel Woods
	Kings and Bakers Woods and Heaths.

SSSIs

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many sites of special scientific interest there are in the Wycombe constituency.

Michael Meacher: There are 14 SSSIs within the constituency. These are:
	Bolter End Sand Pit
	Fayland Chalk Bank
	Frieth Meadows
	Gomm Valley
	Hollowhill and Pullingshill Woods
	Homefield Wood
	Millfield Wood
	Naphill Common
	Moorend Common
	Rodbed Wood
	Swain's Wood
	Temple Island Meadows
	Widdenton Park Wood
	Wormsley Chalk Bank.

Water Supplies (Chemical or Biological Attacks)

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions she has had with the water companies and the MoD about the protection of water supplies from chemical and biological attack.

Michael Meacher: Discussions take place regularly with relevant interested parties on matters relating to emergency planning in the water industry. The content of these discussions is not made public for security reasons.

Chemicals

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will set targets to reduce the release of (a) cancer-causing chemicals and (b) other harmful chemicals.

Michael Meacher: The Government set a range of targets in their Chemicals Strategy published in 1999, "Sustainable Production and Use of Chemicals—a strategic approach". Our key priority is to make progress in generating information about chemicals in widespread use and identifying those of most concern so that action can be taken. A Stakeholder Forum was established to implement the strategy and it met its first target by publishing a set of criteria for identifying chemicals of most concern in December 2000. The forum is now working to identify chemicals that meet these criteria.
	The Stakeholder Forum is developing indicators of environmental exposure to hazardous chemicals, including those that are carcinogenic. This research will be used to set more specific targets for reducing overall exposure of the environment. I expect the development of the indicators to be completed by July 2002.
	In the meantime, an international programme has been agreed to assess the hazards of chemicals that are produced in high volumes. A target has been set to complete 1,000 hazard assessments by 2004. These assessments will provide the information needed to decide whether a chemical is likely to be of concern. The Government will keep the programme under review. Industry and the Stakeholder Forum will review all of the chemicals that meet the criteria for concern. Risk management strategies on chemicals likely to cause serious damage will be produced by 2010 to ensure their withdrawal from use. By 2015, the international chemicals industry aims to have completed hazard assessments for the 4,100 high production volume chemicals. The UK strategy aims to have at least sufficient data to characterise hazards of all commercially produced chemicals.
	The emphasis of the strategy is voluntary action, and full transparency in decision making. This will be a faster route to phasing out chemicals of most concern than the legislation, although I will resort to that if we fail to secure co-operation.
	In parallel with the UK strategy, the European Commission is developing legislation to implement its White Paper on a future chemicals policy. The Government are playing an active role to shape the proposals to ensure that an effective mechanism is put in place to ensure rapid progress in phasing out the uses of chemicals of most concern.

Foot and Mouth

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  if Ministers will give evidence in person to Professor Anderson's inquiry into the foot and mouth outbreak;
	(2)  what powers Professor Anderson has to summon (a) officials and (b) Ministers to give evidence to his inquiry into the foot and mouth outbreak.

Margaret Beckett: holding answer 12 November 2001
	I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for North Shropshire (Mr. Paterson) on 7 November 2001, Official Report, column 300W.

Foot and Mouth

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many local areas are conducting their own inquiries into the recent foot and mouth disease breakdown; and what response her Department is making to them.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 18 October 2001
	We are aware that a number of local studies or inquiries are planned or are taking place. DEFRA is prepared to assist these by providing general information on the epidemic and answers to written questions on focused areas of particular concern to the local authorities. However, such assistance must be limited by the need to ensure that staff are not diverted from the prime task of eradicating the disease and preventing its return. DEFRA will not therefore be able to meet requests for wide ranging information and views, nor will staff be available to answer oral questions.

Foot and Mouth

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what help is available to farmers who lost stock owing to the recent foot and mouth outbreak.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 18 October 2001
	Farmers who have lost stock as a result of foot and mouth disease are eligible for compensation for the value of animals destroyed, and for other items seized and destroyed such as fodder and hay.
	A further range of measures to help these farmers, amounting to £15.4 million, have also been announced. These are: £10.4 million for an enhanced Farm Business Advice Service (FBAS) offering up to five days of free business advice for farmers whose livestock have been slaughtered under the foot and mouth control measures; £2 million in grant aid made available under a new round of the Agricultural Development Scheme, to improve marketing performance and competitiveness of sectors affected by foot and mouth; and £3 million for a targeted trade development and market campaign, made available through Food from Britain which will co-ordinate their campaign with the Countryside Agency, Meat and Livestock Commission and others with an active interest.
	The FBAS is a free and confidential service which offers up to five days advisory time to be provided by an experienced farm business adviser and is available to any farmer in England who has had stock compulsorily slaughtered as a result of the foot and mouth outbreak. It will be available until March 2003. We have sent a letter to all farmers in this category.
	An adviser will review the farmer's business and arrange for an environmental evaluation to be conducted by an appropriate specialist. The adviser will then help them prepare a whole farm recovery plan which will help farmers to develop new income opportunities and access the range of other support measures available to them. Advice is also provided on re-stocking.

Foot and Mouth

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will publish the guidelines on access to holdings which lost stock owing to the recent foot and mouth outbreak, with specific reference to those tasked to advise farmers on future opportunities.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 18 November 2001
	The guidelines drawn up by DEFRA, which are also used by the Farm Business Advice Service, are currently being further revised. Until now, other Government agencies have drawn up and disseminated their own guidelines for use by their staff in consultation with DEFRA. However, it is expected that when the new guidelines are issued, all Government personnel will adhere to them when visiting any agricultural premise. The revised guidelines will be placed on the DEFRA website.

Refrigerators

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what emergency measures she is considering for the disposal of refrigerators after 1 January 2002.

Michael Meacher: holding answer 14 November 2001
	Although the UK does not currently have facilities capable of extracting ozone depleting substances, including CFCs, from insulation foam, it is anticipated that some plant may come on-line as early as spring 2002. The Department is finalising measures to manage waste refrigeration equipment in the interim. Advice on storage of waste refrigeration equipment will be issued shortly. We are currently considering funding options for local authorities.

Refrigerators

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she is expecting to announce details of financial assistance to local councils for the disposal of refrigerators after 1 January 2002.

Michael Meacher: holding answer 14 November 2001
	Shortly.

Sub-standard Meat

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what measures she has taken to ensure that sub-standard meat is not permitted to enter the UK.

Elliot Morley: All consignments of fresh meat imported into the UK from other EU member states must have been produced in accordance with the harmonised community rules laid down in Council Directive 64/433/EEC. Imports from third countries must have been produced to standards at least equivalent to those in the Directive. Among other things, this Directive sets out the licensing, structural and veterinary supervision requirements to be applied in abattoirs, cutting plants and cold stores.
	All meat imported into the UK from third countries must enter at designated UK Border Inspection Posts (BIPs) where it is subject to veterinary inspections. All consignments are subject to documentary and identity checks and at least 20 per cent. of consignments undergo physical checks. These ensure import conditions are met and that the products remain in a satisfactory condition during transport. In line with community rules, random spot checks at destination may be carried out on consignments of fresh meat imported into the UK from other EU member states.
	New arrangements have been introduced across all enforcement agencies involved to improve the sharing and analysis of information about known or suspected illegal imports. We are building up a database of details which is enabling us to target enforcement action and to make best use of available resources. Our national regulations have also been amended to assist local authorities in seizing suspected illegal imports when they are found at point of sale. The Food Standards Agency is also encouraging local authorities to ensure that checking for illegal imports is part of their routine inspection of food premises.
	Alongside this we have introduced improved publicity to ensure that travellers are aware of the restrictions on what may be imported. Posters have been placed at main airports and we have asked UK travel agents and airlines using UK airports to make information about import controls available to travellers. Recognising that it is most effective to inform travellers before they leave for their journey to the UK, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office have been active via British Embassies abroad, providing information directly to travellers and via travel agents and local media.
	We are keeping these measures under review and will make improvements as necessary. In addition, we are looking at a wide range of other options to ensure the rules on imports are enforced effectively and efficiently. These include, for example, the possible use of sniffer dogs and X-ray machines at ports and airports.

Animal Movement

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what changes she proposes to make to the licensing provisions for animal movements.

Elliot Morley: The licensing provisions on animal movements are kept under review in the light of the developing disease situation. I will continue to announce changes as they are introduced.

Auction Marts

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent representations she has received on the future of auction marts.

Elliot Morley: I have received a number of representations from auctioneers and the livestock industry. I am keeping the position of livestock markets under review in the light of the developing disease situation.

Beef Exports

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the prospects for beef exports to (a) Germany, (b) the Netherlands, (c) Italy and (d) France; and how many United Kingdom plants are qualified to export beef.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 15 November 2001
	It is not possible to make a realistic assessment of future prospects because recovery of our beef exports depends on many factors including the number of plants which seek approval to export under the Date-based Export Scheme (DBES); the conditions of DBES; the results of our BSE testing programme; consumer confidence in the countries concerned and currency values. In addition, prospects for beef exports to France depend on the outcome of the Commission's ECJ case which is expected shortly.
	Prior to the foot and mouth outbreak two establishments were approved to export beef under DBES.

Departmental Staff

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the (a) functions performed, (b) numbers of staff employed for each function and (c) proportion of staff coming from the former (i) Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and (ii) Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions for each function, in her Department.

Elliot Morley: The number of staff employed by function as at 1 October is listed. The figures given include staff employed to deal with foot and mouth disease and those who were in the process of transferring to the Rural Payments Agency, but exclude all other Executive Agencies of the Department. Staff who have joined DEFRA since its creation are included in the percentage for MAFF.
	
		
			  DEFRA MAFF (%) DETR (%) 
		
		
			 Agriculture and Food 577 100 0 
			 Fisheries 217 100 0 
			 Environment, Rural and Regional Services 4,075 86 14 
			 Animal Health (including State Veterinary Services) 2,914 100 0 
			 Science Directorate 101 100 0 
			 European Union and International Policy 57 100 0 
			 Economics and Statistics 175 97 3 
			 Central Services 1,133 97 3 
			 E-business Directorate 360 100 0 
			 Communications Directorate 106 91 9 
			  
			 Total 9,715 93 7

Appointments

Tim Collins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many appointments she has made to public bodies since 7 June; and how many are in her gift.

Elliot Morley: Information about numbers of ministerial appointments to public bodies is included in the Cabinet Office's annual report, "Public Bodies". Copies of this are placed in the Library of the House and the report is published on the Cabinet Office's internet website. The next edition of "Public Bodies", which will include numbers of appointments at 31 March 2001, will be published around the end of the year.
	During the period 7 June 2001 to 31 October 2001, my Department made 33 ministerial appointments to public bodies. This figure includes 13 reappointments. The total number of appointments, which are currently within the gift of DEFRA Ministers, is 781.

Scottish Expenditure

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list, in real terms, for each year since 1979 (a) the total sums of money spent directly by her Department in Scotland and (b) the total sums of money allocated by her Department for spending in Scotland through (i) the Scottish Office, (ii) the Scotland Office and (iii) the Scottish Executive.

Elliot Morley: The Department has only been in existence for a few months, so does not have such historical information. Attempting to construct it retrospectively would involve disproportionate cost.

Capture Bird Imports

Ian Cawsey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she will implement the European Commission's decision of 16 October 2000 relating to imports of wild caught birds.

Elliot Morley: Commission Decision 2000/666/EC of 16 October 2000 lays down new harmonised animal health rules for the import of captive birds into the EU from third countries. The decision came into force on 1 November this year. We notified interested parties on 6 June and 6 November this year of the new arrangements we have put in place for the import of captive birds (including birds taken directly from the wild for approved conservation programmes) from both third countries and EU member states.

Genetically Modified Fish

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what account she has taken of the views of the Royal Society in determining her policy in respect of the rearing of genetically modified fish.

Michael Meacher: holding answer 15 October 2001
	In their report on "The Use of Genetically Modified Animals", published on 21 May 2001, the Royal Society endorsed the recommendation of the Royal Society of Canada for a moratorium on the rearing of GM fish in aquatic net-pens, with approval for commercial production being conditional on the rearing of the fish in land-locked facilities.
	The views of the Royal Society accord with current Government policy.
	The keeping and rearing of GM fish is already tightly controlled. They must be kept in secure containment in land based tanks with suitable precautions to preclude escape. The keeping of GM fish in nets, tanks or cages in the sea or in rivers, lakes or streams would constitute a release to the environment and is prohibited under EU legislation without prior consent from the relevant authority. Any application to keep GM fish in such circumstances would have to be underpinned by a detailed risk assessment and would be considered on a case-by- case basis. Applicants would be required to demonstrate that there would be no adverse effects on human health or the environment arising from the activity. Given these requirements it is difficult to envisage any circumstances in which we would permit such a release.
	There are no GM fish held in aquatic net-pens in this country and no approval has yet been sought or granted for commercial production of GM fish.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Climate Change

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what progress has been made in climate change negotiations.

Michael Meacher: I have been asked to reply.
	My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs led the UK delegation to the recent climate change negotiations in Marrakech. We achieved our aim of successfully translating the political agreement reached in Bonn in July on the implementation of the Kyoto protocol into detailed legal texts, removing the final obstacle to ratification and entry into force of the protocol. The UK intends to ratify, along with our EU partners, in time to allow entry into force by the World Summit on Sustainable Development next September. Since Marrakech, Japan has also announced that it will now press ahead with preparations for ratification next year. We hope that many other countries will follow suit.

Parliamentary Questions

David Winnick: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what is the total cost to public funds of answering the questions tabled on 12 November by the hon. Member for Buckingham (Mr. Bercow) for answer on the 14 November.

Christopher Leslie: The hon. Member for Buckingham tabled 118 parliamentary questions on 12 November.
	As at April 2000, the latest date for which data are available, the average cost of answering a written parliamentary question was £123. The total cost of answering the questions tabled by the hon. Member for Buckingham on 12 November is therefore approximately £14,500, although given that the cost is based on an average it is a very conservative figure.

Social Exclusion Unit

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the key priorities are for the Social Exclusion Unit in the next 12 months.

Barbara Roche: The Social Exclusion Unit has three key priorities for the next 12 months. The first of these is to deliver four new reports on areas of cross-cutting work to address issues of social exclusion. These areas are: reducing the rates of re-offending among ex-prisoners; developing a more effective system to prevent young people from running away and to help those that do; improving the educational achievement of children in care; and removing the transport barriers that prevent people accessing work and critical services.
	The Social Exclusion Unit's second priority is to work closely with the implementation units in other Government Departments to ensure that there is effective implementation of previous work carried out by the unit. This relates to projects carried out on rough sleepers, school exclusions and truancy, providing opportunities for 16 to 18-year-olds not in education, employment or training, and the national strategy for neighbourhood renewal. To support this work the Social Exclusion Unit will communicate with members of the public, the voluntary and the business sector, local government and key professionals regarding the Government's policies on social exclusion and ensure that they receive accurate, up to date information about the work of the unit.
	The third priority for the Social Exclusion Unit over the next 12 months is to plan to deliver new areas of cross-cutting work to address specific issues of social exclusion as directed by the Prime Minister.

Labour Force Statistics

Frank Field: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will disaggregate by (a) age and (b) sex the information given in Figure 3.7 of the document "Winning the Generation Game".

Barbara Roche: The Labour Force status of persons not working aged between 50 and State Pension Age, to which Figure 3 of "Winning the Generation Game" refers, are disaggregated by age group and sex in the table.
	
		Labour Force status of persons aged 50–59 (female)/50–64 (male) by age group and sex, winter 1998–99
		
			 Thousands  
			   Not seasonally adjusted  
			  All 50+ 50–54 55–59 60–64 
		
		
			 All persons 
			 All persons not working(33) 2,830 953 1,146 731 
			 Looking for work 287 136 105 46 
			 Looking after family, home 400 192 188 20 
			 Long-term sick and disabled 1,234 409 489 336 
			 Do not need a job 148 56 69 23 
			 Retired 499 56 201 242 
			 Other 263 105 94 64 
			  
			 Males 
			 All persons not working(33) 1,518 348 438 731 
			 Looking for work 201 84 71 46 
			 Looking after family, home 58 19 20 20 
			 Long-term sick and disabled 753 189 228 336 
			 Do not need a job 48 9 16 23 
			 Retired 334 20 72 242 
			 Other 123 27 31 64 
			  
			 Females 
			 All persons not working(33) 1,312 605 707 — 
			 Looking for work 86 52 34 — 
			 Looking after family, home 341 173 169 — 
			 Long-term sick and disabled 481 220 261 — 
			 Do not need a job 100 47 53 — 
			 Retired 165 36 129 — 
			 Other 140 77 63 — 
		
	
	(33) Includes those ILO unemployed and inactive. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) measure of unemployment refers to people who are: (a) out of work, want a job, have actively sought work in the last four weeks and are available to start work in the next two weeks, or (b) are out of work, have found a job and are waiting to start it in the next two weeks.
	Source:
	ONS—Labour Force Survey

Departmental Publicity

Alex Salmond: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the total expenditure was on (a) advertising, (b) polling, (c) focus groups, (d) design consultants, (e) caterers, (f) production of departmental publications and (g) photographs/photographers by his Department for each year since 1995 in (i) cash and (ii) real terms; what was (A) the annual percentage increase in spending on each category and (B) spending on each category as a percentage of the total departmental running costs; and if he will make a statement.

Christopher Leslie: The Government are committed to using only whatever medium and channels are judged to be the most cost-effective way to deliver the publicity necessary to support the implementation of policy. Paid advertising is only resorted to after careful consideration of the cost-benefits.
	
		£ 
		
			 Year Advertising(34) 
		
		
			 1995–96 — 
			 1997–97 337,465 
			 1997–98 238,270 
			 1998–99 246,438 
			 1999–2000 678,601 
			 2000–01 662,277 
		
	
	(34) Television, radio and newspaper.
	Notes:
	1. These figures include recruitment advertising.
	2. Figures only include Cabinet Office entities up to and including 31 March 2001.
	3. Figures do not include salary costs for Cabinet Office staff.
	4. These figures do not include expenditure undertaken by the COI Communications on behalf of clients, which was as follows:
	1995–96: £63,663
	1996–97: £69,396
	1997–98: £59,039
	1998–99: £105,464
	1999–2000: £113,493
	2000–01: £192,407
	
		£ 
		
			 Year Public opinion research 
		
		
			 1995–96 n/a 
			 1996–97 n/a 
			 1997–98 656,604 
			 1998–99 897,622 
			 1999–2000 270,096 
			 2000–01 532,076 
		
	
	
		£ 
		
			 Year Publications 
		
		
			 1995–96 n/a 
			 1996–97 2,660,505 
			 1997–98 2,114,993 
			 1998–99 2,752,521 
			 1999–2000 3,101,505 
			 2000–01 2,424,850 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures for 1996–97 includes the costs of Her Majesty's Stationery Office, Chessington Computer Centre, Recruitment and Assessment Services, and Occupational Health and Safety Agency. These Executive Agencies were privatised during 1996–97 and expenditure for that year is available in their respective Completion Accounts.
	2. Figures are taken from accounting definitions and may include procurement of publications not produced by the Cabinet Office, but will not include staff costs or external consultant costs.
	3. Expenditure for 2001–02 is for core Cabinet Office only and is taken from the Cabinet Office Resource Accounting System using Publications and Printing/Binding expenditure codes.
	The rest of the information asked for is not available in the form requested without incurring disproportionate costs, as it does not correspond with departmental financial coding.

Equality Unit

Paul Goodman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the importance of (a) equality of opportunity and (b) equality of outcome in the Equality Unit's strategy; and how they relate.

Barbara Roche: Equality of opportunity is one of the Government's key priorities. We are committed to ensuring that everyone should be able to develop and make full use of their talents throughout their lives. It cannot be right that people are held back by unfair discrimination or stereotypical and inaccurate assumptions about their ability.
	Equality of outcome is a yardstick that can be used to assess the degree to which people from different backgrounds, or who have different personal characteristics, have had equal opportunities. If there is clear evidence that one group of people consistently fare less well than another, then we need to look at why this is happening and address the factors that lead to it.

Delivery Unit

Norman Baker: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the purpose of the Delivery Unit is; and what its aims, objectives and workplan are for (a) 2001–02 and (b) 2002–03.

Tony Blair: I am replying to this question as it relates to matters for which I am responsible.
	The purpose of the Delivery Unit is to ensure that the Government achieve their delivery priorities during this Parliament across the key areas of public service: health, education, crime and asylum and transport.
	It will:
	i. report regularly to me on progress towards achievement of these priorities;
	ii. help in holding the public service Departments to account through the established PSX monitoring process to make sure that they meet their agreed PSA targets;
	iii. ensure that, within departmental spending limits set in the spending review, problems of delivery are solved as rapidly as possible when they emerge;
	iv. sustain the Government's focus on the key objectives over time.

Delivery Unit

Norman Baker: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the material published in relation to the work of the Delivery Unit; what his policy is in respect of the publication of such material; and if he will make a statement on the public accountability of this unit.

Tony Blair: I am replying to this question as it relates to matters for which I am responsible.
	The Delivery Unit has not yet published any material. The unit reports to me and is under the day-to-day supervision of Lord Macdonald, the Minister for the Cabinet Office. It is headed by my Chief Adviser on Delivery, Professor Michael Barber.

Delivery Unit

Norman Baker: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the budget is for the Delivery Unit in (a) 2001–02 and (b) 2002–03; and how many (i) officials and (ii) special advisers are in this unit.

Tony Blair: I am replying to this question as it relates to matters for which I am responsible.
	The budget for the Delivery Unit is still being finalised.
	At 1 September 2001, there were 12 civil servants in the unit, and no special advisers.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Prisons

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made on improving liaison between the prison education service and the University for Industry.

Beverley Hughes: The project to pilot Learndirect in a small number of prison establishments is now under way. Learndirect is an 'e' learning network created by the University for Industry; it is a secure on-line learning programme that brings learning to the learner.

Prisons

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement about the future of HM Prisons Downview and High Down.

Beverley Hughes: HM Prison Downview, which was formerly a training prison for category C males, was re-roled in September 2001 to take female convicted prisoners. The Director General of the Prison Service considered this was necessary to enable the Prison Service to deal with the rise in the number of female prisoners. The Director General is currently considering whether Downview should also hold female remand prisoners.
	HM Prison High Down is a local prison which holds male prisoners including category A remand prisoners. The Prison Service continually keeps the use of the estate under review. Changes in the prison population may require establishments to change function, including High Down.

Antisocial Behaviour

James Plaskitt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to monitor the performance of antisocial behaviour orders.

John Denham: During the passage through Parliament of the Crime and Disorder Bill the Government gave an undertaking to Parliament that they would review the effectiveness of antisocial behaviour orders two years after their introduction. This review will soon be completed and we are aiming to publish its findings in due course.

Police (Havering)

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on police numbers in Havering in each of the last four years.

Angela Eagle: The Commissioner tells me that in December 1997 there were 334 full time equivalent police officers in Havering. The figure for December 1998 was 326; for December 1999 it was 327; and for December 2000 it was 297. The figure for September 2001 was 326.
	These numbers are specifically for policing Havering. In addition, the borough benefits from central and specialist services such as the territorial support group, traffic officers and specialist crime units, which are not budgeted for at borough level.

Police (Havering)

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what change there has been in police numbers in Havering since May 1997.

John Denham: The information has been provided by the Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis and is set out in the table. These numbers are specifically for policing Havering. In addition, the borough benefits from central and specialist services such as the territorial support group, traffic officers and specialist crime units, which are not budgeted for at borough level.
	
		
			 Year Police officers in Havering(35) 
		
		
			 June 1997 326 
			 December 1997 334 
			 December 1998 326 
			 December 1999 327 
			 December 2000 297 
			 September 2001 326 
		
	
	(35) Full time equivalents

Violent Crime

David Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on trends in violent crime since 1995.

Bob Ainsworth: The British Crime Survey shows that violent crime reached its peak in 1995. Since then, there have been steady falls: down 17 per cent. by 1997, a further 4 per cent. by 1999, and a substantial further fall of 19 per cent. by 2000. Much of the explanation lies in the adoption of a strategic approach to tackling violent crime which emphasises the need for effective policing and punishment, as well as policies to root out the conditions which can engender violent crime, and better support for victims. We are determined to secure further reductions in violent crime in the coming years.

Off-road Motor Bikes

Colin Pickthall: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures he plans to bring forward to enable the police to curb the illegal use of off-road motor bikes.

Angela Eagle: A number of existing powers already address this problem. Where there are particular local difficulties we would expect appropriate action to be taken within the local crime and disorder strategy. We have set in hand research on unlicensed driving and motor cycle riding, and we shall consider carefully any further measures it recommends.

Policing (Bromley)

John Horam: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions he has had with the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis about policing in the London borough of Bromley.

John Denham: I have regular discussions with the commissioner about policing issues. The resources deployed to individual boroughs is an operational matter for the commissioner.

CCTV

Bill O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he intends to make further announcements on developing more CCTV in local communities; and if he will make a statement.

John Denham: A potential £170 million will be spent funding 686 schemes under the crime reduction programme CCTV initiative.
	We are now considering how best to build on the lessons of the crime reduction programme in developing new crime reduction initiatives that could provide future funding for CCTV.

CCTV

David Borrow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which local authorities in the north-west of England have been unsuccessful in bidding for his Department's funds for CCTV schemes.

David Blunkett: Under the crime reduction programme CCTV initiative, the following local authorities in the north-west of England, as part of their local crime and disorder reduction partnerships, submitted unsuccessful bids. (Those marked with an asterisk also submitted successful bids):
	Allerdale
	Blackburn and Darwen
	Blackpool
	Bolton*
	Burnley
	Carlisle*
	Cheshire
	Chester*
	Crewe and Nantwich*
	Copeland*
	Ellesmere Port and Neston
	Fylde
	Halton*
	Hyndburn
	Knowsley*
	Lancashire
	Liverpool*
	Macclesfield*
	Manchester*
	Oldham*
	Pendle and Burnley
	Rochdale*
	Rossendale
	Salford*
	Sefton*
	South Ribble
	Stockport
	Tameside*
	Trafford
	Vale Royal*
	Warrington
	Wigan*.
	Although this initiative is now closed and no further bids can be accepted under the crime reduction programme, other opportunities for funding may exist under the communities against drugs or the small retailers in deprived areas initiatives.

Seaside Towns (Policing)

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions his Department has had with chief constables about recognising (a) transience and (b) visitor numbers when allocating policing resources to seaside and coastal towns.

John Denham: The Home Office allocates funding to forces as a whole, it is for the chief officer to determine the best deployment of those resources taking operational needs and priorities into account.
	The police funding formula does take account of population including resident population, overnight visitors and day visitors and so deals with the influx of visitors and holiday makers into seaside and coastal towns.
	I have not had any discussions with chief constables about recognising transience and visitor numbers when allocating police resources to seaside and coastal towns.

Police Numbers (Essex)

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers were in post in the county of Essex at the latest available date.

John Denham: I am told by the Chief Constable that on 31 October this year Essex police had 2,953 officers, 66 more than in March this year. Essex police also had 1,598 civilian staff, 151 more than in March 2001.
	We are allocating extra resources to the force. Government supported funding for 2001–02 was increased by six per cent. over the previous year to £185.3 million.
	The crime fighting fund is also delivering more police officers in Essex. The force expects to recruit 132 crime fighting fund recruits this year and another 65 in 2002–03.

Cannabis

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the reclassification of cannabis as a class C drug.

Bob Ainsworth: My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary has asked the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs to review the scientific and medical arguments for reclassifying cannabis from Class B to Class C under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. The Advisory Council is due to provide its advice within three months.

Cannabis

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the changes in the numbers of people using recreational cannabis in (a) the United Kingdom and (b) other Council of Europe countries with populations of more than five million in the last five years.

Bob Ainsworth: Estimates on the changing patterns of drug misuse in this country are set out in the British Crime Survey. European data are collected by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA). EMCDDA are working to develop specific instruments to facilitate analysis of the different data collection and data comparison methods throughout Europe. Copies of both reports are available in the Library.

Terrorism

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the additional costs to the Metropolitan Police Authority of tackling the threat of terrorism.

John Denham: The Government greatly appreciate the immediate response made by the Metropolitan Police Authority and service after the terrorist attack in the USA on 11 September.
	There has been a great deal of speculation as to the additional costs to the Metropolitan police of the increased security measures. We have set in train a process for the detailed assessment of the additional resources deployed.
	The Government are actively considering these and hopes to make an announcement in the next few weeks.

Terrorism

Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what mechanisms are in place to prevent suspected terrorists from claiming asylum.

Ernie Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what mechanisms are in place to ensure that suspected terrorists are not able to claim asylum.

Angela Eagle: Details of all asylum applicants are checked against the immigration service warnings index. Asylum seekers are also fingerprinted and photographed when an application for asylum is made, with further checks made with the police and Security Service if any doubts or question marks arise in the initial interview.
	The 1951 UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees also specifically precludes certain individuals from benefiting from its provisions, and allows refugees to be returned to their original country in certain circumstances. Measures in the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Bill, the Second Reading of which takes place today, deals specifically with this point.

Police Support Staff

Lawrie Quinn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to increase the role of support staff in the police.

John Denham: The police reform process is looking at ways in which the visibility and accessibility of the police can be increased. A range of tasks are currently undertaken by police officers which could be carried out by suitably trained support staff, freeing up officers to return to the beat.
	My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary announced on 1 November, when he published the report by PA Consulting "Diary of a Police Officer", that we are committed to encouraging broader use of support staff for custody duties and handling the paperwork involved in case preparation. We will use the Police Bill to make any necessary legislative changes.

Police Pensions

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he intends to meet the Police Federation to discuss police pensions.

John Denham: Ministers and senior officials have regular meetings with police organisations and representative bodies, including the Police Federation, at which matters relating to police pay and conditions, such as pensions, are discussed.

Drugs Strategy

Anne Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to focus the drugs strategy on class A drugs.

Jeff Ennis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to focus the drugs strategy on class A drugs.

Bob Ainsworth: The main focus of the Government's drugs strategy is on the drugs that cause the greatest harm, Class A drugs such as heroin and cocaine. However, as the Home Secretary indicated in his evidence to the Home Affairs Committee on 23 October 2001, we need to be even more effective at tackling the harm caused by Class A drugs. He is seeking advice from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs on their assessment for reclassifying cannabis from Class B to Class C and will be introducing an innovative public awareness campaign on drugs aimed at young people. In addition, he has provided £1 million as a starter fund for a pilot project to help police target regional drug traffickers with a view to a national roll-out of the scheme, has agreed further roll-out of drug testing programmes, and has agreed a series of measures, in partnership with the Department of Health, to minimise the harm drugs cause. We are also currently reviewing progress against all the drugs strategy targets as part of the work for the 2002 spending review, to ensure that we still have the right balance and focus.

Rural Crime

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on his policies to tackle crime in rural areas.

John Denham: Tackling crime and the fear of crime in all areas, including rural areas, is a clear priority for this Government. Our approach is to support the police and the local crime and disorder partnerships in tackling local crime effectively.
	This includes increased funding for police forces covering rural areas to take account of the additional costs involved: £30 million is being allocated to 31 forces this year. This money will make a real difference to policing in rural areas. In addition, the anti-crime strategies drawn up by the crime and disorder partnerships support a wide range of initiatives, including local "watch" schemes to help protect farms, equipment and livestock, and rural closed circuit television schemes. The rural crime toolkit, on the crime reduction website, will help local partnerships address crime in rural areas.
	The British Crime Survey shows that crime levels are significantly lower in rural areas than in urban areas, with levels of burglary, violent and vehicle crime declining.

Police Administration

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how he intends to reduce the level of administration to be carried out by police officers.

John Denham: On 1 November my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary published PA Consulting's study "Diary of a Police Officer" which had considered what more could be done to free police officers from the unnecessary paperwork and other obstacles which prevent them from spending more time in public.
	My right hon. Friend announced that he was setting up a task force, chaired by Sir David O'Dowd, to consider how to take forward the recommendations in this, and other, relevant reports, in order to reduce unnecessary administrative burdens on police officers.

Drugs Treament and Testing Orders (North-East Wales)

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to assess the effectiveness of drug treatment and testing orders in north-east Wales.

Beverley Hughes: Between 1 October 2000 and 30 September 2001, 90 Drug Treatment and Testing Orders (DTTOs) were made in north Wales. Implementation of the order is being closely monitored by the National Probation Service and we are considering how research can help us to understand the longer term effectiveness of this new measure. However, it is too early to have any independently evaluated information on the effectiveness of the order, although we do have some limited information on the impact of the pilots.

Khat

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research he has conducted into the importing of khat into the UK and its re-exporting to countries in which it is a banned substance.

Bob Ainsworth: There has been no specific research, but Customs and Excise have previously estimated that up to seven tonnes of khat are imported into the United Kingdom every week. It is not known how much of this is re-exported.

Policing (Bromley)

John Horam: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost of policing in the London Borough of Bromley was in each of the last five years, indicating how much of this comes from (a) council tax and (b) the Government.

John Denham: The Metropolitan Police Authority is funded on a London-wide basis. Budget and funding figures are given in the table.
	
		£ million 
		
			 Year Budget requirement Central Government provision Council tax requirement 
		
		
			 1997–98 1,720 1,538 182 
			 1998–99 1,778 1,553 222 
			 1999–2000 1,836 1,595 241 
			 2000–01 1,830 1,585 248 
			 2001–02 1,980 1,666 325 
		
	
	Note:
	Central Government provision includes Home Office police grant, Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (DTLR) revenue support grant, national non-domestic rates and Standard Spending Assessment (SSA) reduction grant. Outside the budget requirement, provision has been made for contributions to the cost of the Council Tax Benefit Subsidy Limitation Scheme and for the precepting authority's share of billing authorities' Collection Fund deficits or surpluses.
	The funding allocations specifically for local policing in Bromley are set out in the table. In addition, the borough benefits from central and specialist services such as the territorial support group, traffic officers and specialist crime units, which are not budgeted for at borough level.
	
		Funds for policing Bromley borough
		
			 Year £ million 
		
		
			 1997–98 27.0 
			 1998–99 26.4 
			 1999–2000 22.9 
			 2000–01 23.7 
			 2001–02 24.6

Arrests (Evesham and Droitwich Spa)

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many custody arrests were made in (a) Evesham and (b) Droitwich Spa in the last three years.

John Denham: Information on the number of arrests for notifiable offences is collected centrally at police force area level only. Available information shows that in 1999–2000 there were 21,172 arrests for notifiable offences within the West Mercia Police Force Area and 18,235 in 2000–01. Information for earlier years is not available on a consistent basis.

Emergency Calls

Martin Linton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of 999 calls made in London over the past 12 months were dealt with by the police as emergencies; how many were made accidentally from mobile phones; what discussions he has had with mobile phone service providers; and if he will make a statement.

John Denham: The Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis informs me that, out of 1,908,097 calls, 21 per cent. were graded as immediate emergency response calls; 18 per cent. of 999 calls made in London in the last 12 months were accidentally made from mobile phones.
	The Metropolitan Police Service has been in discussions with the mobile phone service providers since January 1999 in order to discuss how best to put into place a system which will help prevent silent emergency calls.
	In addition, the Police Information Technology Organisation (PITO) and the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) have been working together to address the issue of inadvertent silent 999 calls from mobile phones.
	British Telecom and Cable and Wireless carry all emergency 999/112 calls. Following a successful trial with the metropolitan police, ACPO have arranged for British Telecom and Cable and Wireless to route all silent 999 calls for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland through a switch that engages a recorded message. This message states that the emergency services have been called, but that no voice connection has been detected, and that the number '5' on the keypad should be pressed twice if the emergency services are required.
	This service came into effect nationally on 1 October 2001 and will remove silent calls that were previously routed to police command and control rooms throughout the country. These accounted for approximately 20 per cent. of all 999 calls and their removal will improve the efficiency of control rooms and their ability to deal with genuine emergency calls.
	Oftel are currently working with manufacturers to improve the design of mobile phones to reduce problems. These changes should be introduced from 2003 onwards. Interim solutions are being sought from manufacturers to provide specific key protection around the '9' and '1' keys to prevent accidental activation.

Emergency Calls

Martin Linton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to charge people for accidentally calling 999; and if he will make a statement.

John Denham: We have no plans to introduce a charge for accidentally calling 999.

Metropolitan Police (Administrative Costs)

Malcolm Moss: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish the administrative costs of the Metropolitan Police Authority for (a) last year and (b) this year.

John Denham: The Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA) inform me that the cost of the MPA secretariat in 2000–01 was £2.6 million and that the latest forecast outturn for 2001- 02 is also £2.6 million.
	In addition, the MPA are responsible for the Metropolitan Police Service internal audit for which I understand costs are: 2000–01, £1.6 million; 2001–02, £1.7 million.

Baton Rounds

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to extend the availability of baton rounds for use by the police; and if he will make a statement.

John Denham: holding answer 13 November 2001
	Thirty-six police forces in England and Wales currently possess baton rounds and an additional three non-Home Department forces are similarly equipped. This will increase to 45 forces by April 2002 when the manufacturer has supplied further baton guns. The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) circulated on 24 September 2001 further guidance on the use of baton rounds as a possible alternative to police use of firearms in certain operational situations.
	The Home Office, (ACPO) and Northern Ireland Office are currently reviewing, as a matter of priority, the full range of less lethal technologies. The Northern Ireland Office will publish a report on phase two of this work in due course.

Distraction Burglary Strategy

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what projects have been funded by his distraction burglary strategy which involve the first check point scheme to combat cowboy builders.

John Denham: holding answer 13 November 2001
	We have allocated £98,000 for the operation and evaluation of a pilot first check point scheme in Leeds. The evaluation will be completed in 2003.

Crime Reduction (Northamptonshire)

Tony Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will announce the results from Northampton's participation in the On Track crime reduction programme.

John Denham: On Track is a longitudinal study of the impact of a range of support services on the antisocial and criminal behaviour of children and young people. It is in the very early stages of implementation, and no impact or outcome results are yet available or expected from any of the participating pilot projects.
	The final reports of Phase 1, project implementation and service roll-out, are due in September 2002.
	Northampton's on track project is characterised by a commitment to sound and detailed referral and assessment procedures for children which provide clear and comprehensive information to both parents and professionals.

Terrorism (Internet Access)

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment his Department has made of the security implications of access by terrorists to UK media reports via the internet.

David Blunkett: Information is available on the internet as it is in the media generally.
	There is no specific assessment made by the Government. Those placing material on and therefore responsible for the information given on the internet, are subject to the same security rules and regulations as print or broadcast media. No assessment has been made by the Government although the security and intelligence services do of course monitor such information and make their own assessment.

TETRA Masts

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research has been done to evaluate the potential health risks caused by TETRA masts; and if he will make a statement.

John Denham: holding answer 14 November 2001
	In areas accessible to the public, TETRA base station operators must ensure that they comply with all relevant guidelines on exposure of the public to signals from radio masts. Operational guidelines on health and safety are in place for instances where the emergency services need to operate in restricted areas around base stations.

Police (Early Leavers)

Gerry Steinberg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the percentage of police officers who leave the police force after (a) two years, (b) five years and (c) 10 years.

John Denham: As part of the process of monitoring progress on "Dismantling Barriers", Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary has requested information from forces about the number of officers who left during 2000–01.
	This is the first year for which information has been collected in the current format and some forces have been unable to provide the information requested. The following table is based on the information so far available. It covers only 26 of the 43 police forces in England and Wales and may not be representative of the police service as a whole.
	
		Percentage of officers leaving the police service by length of service 2000–01(36),(37),(38)
		
			  Percentage of total leavers 
		
		
			 Less than 2 years 7 
			 2 years—less than 5 years 12 
			 Five years—less than 10 years 13 
			 10 years and over 68 
		
	
	(36) Percentages calculated using data from 26 forces in England and Wales: Avon and Somerset, Bedfordshire, Cheshire, City of London, Cleveland, Cumbria, Devon and Cornwall, Dorset, Dyfed-Powys, Essex, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Hertfordshire, Kent, Lancashire, Merseyside, Norfolk, Northamptonshire, South Yorkshire, Staffordshire, Suffolk, Sussex, Thames Valley, Warwickshire, West Midlands and Wiltshire.
	(37) Leaving: all leavers, medical or ordinary retirement, dismissals, resignations, transfers and deaths.
	(38) Length of service is calculated as at 31 March 2000 and includes service in other police forces as well as in the force an officer left.

Police Numbers (Nottinghamshire)

Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on police numbers in Nottinghamshire.

John Denham: I understand from the Chief Constable that on 31 August the force had 2,285 police officers. This is 63 more officers than the force had in March 2001. Nottinghamshire Constabulary has set a budgeted work force total of 2,347 officers for 31 March 2002. On 31 March 2001 the force had 2,039 civilian support staff, 36 more than in March 1997.
	Fifty-eight recruits to Nottinghamshire Constabulary were funded by the crime fighting fund (CFF) in 2000–01 and the force expects to recruit 47 CFF officers in 2001–02.

Terrorism (Civil Response)

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on his Department's plans for co-ordinating the civil response to a major terrorist attack.

David Blunkett: As Chairman of the Civil Contingencies Committee, I have been leading a comprehensive review of our contingency plans. We are taking all sensible steps to make sure the country is well prepared to handle all eventualities, including a major terrorist attack.
	Building on the extensive work which was already in place, including leading up to the millennium, my right hon. and hon. Friends, the Ministers of State for policing and for local government, and the Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office have also led working groups reporting to the committee on arrangements for key resilience and reassurance issues.

Women Prisoners

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the prospects for the rate of change in the number of women prisoners since 1 May 1997 to be sustained; what assessment he has made of the reasons for the change; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: The female prison population has increased by 52 per cent. between 30 April 1997 and 30 September 2001.
	The main reason for the growth in this period is the rise in the custody rates at the courts. Around half the increase is accounted for by women imprisoned for drug offences; mainly unlawful importation of drugs, supplying class A drugs and possession with intent to supply class A drugs. During 2001, a rise in remands has also been a contributory factor.
	Projections of long term trends in the prison population to 2008 were published on 23 May 2001 (Home Office Statistical Bulletin 8/01). The central scenario assumed that the custody rates for females would increase at a rate of 4.5 per cent. per year until 2008. Both short and long-term prison population projections are currently under review, and a revised projection will be incorporated in the "Prison Population Brief, England and Wales" shortly. This is available on the Home Office website.

Women Prisoners

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the capacity of each women's prison in the United Kingdom.

Beverley Hughes: The information sought is listed in the table and relates to female prisons in England and Wales. Information relating to prisons in Scotland and Northern Ireland should be sought from the Scottish Executive and the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland respectively.
	
		Female Prisons: capacity on 12 November 2001
		
			 Name Certified normal accommodation Operational capacity 
		
		
			 Askham Grange 135 135 
			 Brockhill 166 166 
			 Bullwood Hall 180 180 
			 Cookham Wood 120 150 
			 Downview 227 227 
			 Drake Hall 267 267 
			 Durham 105 109 
			 East Sutton Park 94 100 
			 Eastwood Park 291 324 
			 Foston Hall 214 219 
			 Highpoint 298 300 
			 Holloway 468 483 
			 Low Newton 255 285 
			 Morton Hall 192 192 
			 New Hall 327 386 
			 Send 220 220 
			 Styal 412 455 
			 Winchester 55 65

Women Prisoners

Roger Casale: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to (a) ensure that adequate provision has been made for the accommodation of women prisoners, (b) reduce the risk of suicide among women prisoners and (c) ensure the safety of prisoners at Downview prison in Surrey.

Beverley Hughes: The Prison Service Management Board continuously monitors the changes in population in order to ensure sufficient accommodation is provided for each group of offenders sent into prison custody. The change of function at Downview is one of the actions that was taken to provide adequate accommodation for women prisoners. Consideration is currently being given to the need to change the function of another male prison to accommodate women prisoners.
	Following the Prison Service Internal Review, "Prevention of Suicide and Self-Harm in the Prison Service", a new three-year strategy to reduce prisoner suicides and self-harm was announced by my predecessor on 5 February. The main principles of the strategy apply across all types of prisons and prisoners whether male or female. Implementation of the strategy is being taken forward as part of a long-term programme aiming to reduce suicides and self-harm. This is an all-round approach to encourage a supportive culture in prisons based on good staff-prisoner relationships, a constructive regime and a physically safe environment. Among the five establishments chosen to pilot this programme is the women's prison and young offender institution Eastwood Park. The Prison Service has a duty of care to all prisoners in its custody, and recognises that self-harm is a particular problem among women offenders. The review highlighted the need for specific interventions for repetitive self-injury and a number of steps are being taken to address this issue. The Prison Service is considering alternative care pathways for those who injure themselves. After development, piloting and evaluation it is intended that specific interventions will be introduced in those prisons with a specific need.
	All prisoners are assessed for the potential for self-harm before allocation to Downview. Prisoners who have been identified as being at risk of self-harm are only being allocated to Her Majesty's Prison Downview if this provides additional support and is specified in their individual support plan. Prisoners exhibiting the potential for self-harm while at Downview are closely monitored.

Metropolitan Police Informers

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much the Metropolitan Police paid out to informers in the last year for which figures are available; how many informers received payments; and what was the average payment made.

John Denham: holding answer 15 November 2001
	The Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis informs me that the total amount paid to informers for the financial year 2000–01 was £661,927. A total of 249 informers received payments during the course of that year. As some will have received multiple payments it is not possible to provide a representative average payment.

Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Bill

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will set out the (a) essential characteristics and (b) definition of religious belief for the purposes of the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Bill.

Angela Eagle: Part 5 of the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Bill provides for the expansion of incitement to racial hatred and racially aggravated offences, to cover religious hatred and aggravated offences against members of religious groups.
	The Bill defines "religious hatred" as hatred against a group of persons defined by reference to religious belief or lack of religious belief. A "religious group" is defined as a group of persons defined by reference to religious belief or lack of religious belief. It will be for the courts, if required, to interpret religious belief. This is in keeping with the approach taken in Northern Ireland since 1987 and the approach taken in international human rights instruments.
	We do not believe that it is necessary in the criminal context to define religious groups. This law does not seek to defend religion or religious belief; instead it seeks to protect public order and religious groups from hatred and, in the case of aggravated offences, from violence and harassment. The Government do not intend to make value judgments about religions in this Bill. It is one thing to question, criticise or ridicule a religion and another thing to incite hatred against a group or to attack a person for holding beliefs.

Indefinite Detention

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement about his powers in relation to persons detained indefinitely.

Angela Eagle: Powers of detention under the Immigration Acts are contained in Schedules 2 and 3 to the Immigration Act 1971. Those in Schedule 2 are exercisable by immigration officers, principally in relation to individuals liable to further examination or removal. Those in Schedule 3 relate to individuals subject to deportation action and are exercisable by the Secretary of State. There are no statutory time limits on the duration of detention although, as a general principle, it should continue for no longer than is necessary.
	In addition, the provisions of the Anti-terrorism Crime and Security Bill will allow for the detention under Immigration Act powers of persons the Secretary of State has certified as being suspected international terrorists who are a threat to our national security, despite the fact that their removal or departure may be prevented for the time being by a point of law relating to an international agreement or by practical obstacles.

Heroin

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the impact on availability of street heroin in the United Kingdom of the collapse of the Taliban regime.

Bob Ainsworth: We are keeping the situation under review but would expect any effects to take time to feed through.

Kainos Community Projects

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will place in the Library a copy of the Prison Service's assessment of the Kainos community projects.

Beverley Hughes: The Prison Service assessed Kainos on the basis of an independent evaluation of its operation in four prisons. The evaluation report is the property of the Kainos trustees. With their permission, a copy of the executive summary of the report is being placed on the Home Office website, and has also been placed in the Library.

Prostitution

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps the Government are taking to tackle prostitution; and if he will make a statement.

Keith Bradley: The Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001 made kerb crawling an arrestable offence and created a new offence of placing prostitutes cards in telephone boxes. These measures came into effect on 1 October and 1 September respectively. They will assist police forces around the country to minimise the public nuisance caused by prostitution.
	We are also funding 11 projects as part of the crime reduction programme to find out 'what works' in tackling the crime and disorder associated with legislation. The funding is being used to pilot new methods of combating the nuisance associated with prostitution, preventing children becoming involved in prostitution and helping sex workers to exit prostitution. All the projects are being independently evaluated so that we can make best practice available to all practitioners working in this difficult area.

Prostitution

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures are being taken to prevent people from entering prostitution; and if he will make a statement.

Keith Bradley: The Government are concerned to prevent vulnerable people, particularly children, from entering prostitution. They are therefore keen to ensure that the criminal law deals properly with those who seek to coerce or induce people into prostitution or exploit them as prostitutes. "Setting The Boundaries: Reforming the law on Sex Offences", published in July 2000, makes recommendations for new offences to deal with this and the Government are looking at these very carefully in the light of responses to the consultation exercise. A decision on all the proposals in the report will be announced in due course.
	In addition, guidance on "Safeguarding Children Involved in Prostitution" was published jointly by the Home Office and the Department of Health in May 2000. One of its key messages is that those under 18 who engage in prostitution are almost invariably victims and must be treated as such. Agencies must work together to identify children at risk to prevent them entering prostitution and help them exit it.

Chemist Inspection Officers

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the work of chemist inspection officers in police forces.

John Denham: Chemist inspection officers play an important role in enforcing the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and associated regulations. They are responsible for inspecting retail pharmacies to ensure that controlled drugs are being supplied as authorised, and appropriate records are being kept; investigating breaches of the law; and ensuring that standards of security are maintained where drugs are stored.
	The National Association of Chemist Inspection Officers was set up earlier this year with the support of the Association of Chief Police Officers in order to provide a forum for spreading best practice and understanding of the law on the possession, supply and destruction of pharmaceutical controlled drugs.

Golden Jubilee Medal

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received about the award of a Golden Jubilee medal to police; and if he will make a statement.

John Denham: Representations have been received from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis; the Police Federation of England and Wales, the chief constable, West Midlands police, the Police Superintendents' Association and the Association of Chief Police Officers. Representations have also been received from several hon. and right hon. Members of this House on behalf of their constituents. The Home Office is currently reviewing the position.

LORD CHANCELLOR

Censuses

John Bercow: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if she will make a statement on the saving to public funds to be achieved by her Department's Private Finance Initiative contract with the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency to digitise and make available on the internet the population censuses which are open to the public.

Rosie Winterton: The programme to make digital copies of 100-year-old census returns available on the world wide web is part of the Government's policy to use IT to provide integrated, imaginative and convenient public services, with a target of making all Government services available electronically by 2005. Under a PFI contract, funding for the census digitisation is being provided by QinetiQ, formerly part of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency. The project is intended to be self-financing through the sale of transcriptions and digital images of census pages.

Public Record Office

John Bercow: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what the cost in 2000–01 was of the appointment of a health officer in the Public Record Office; and what it will be in 2001–02.

Rosie Winterton: The Public Record Office does not employ a health officer.

Public Record Office

John Bercow: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, what the level of absenteeism was in the Public Record Office in (a) 1999–2000 and (b) 2000–01.

Rosie Winterton: The level of sickness absence in the Public Record Office is calculated by calendar year in accordance with Civil Service practice. The figures for the calendar years 1999 and 2000 are as follows:
	1999: 9.10 days per person per staff year
	2000: 10.63 days per person per staff year.

Public Record Office

John Bercow: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if she will make a statement on the Public Record Office's Private Finance Initiative contract with a private supplier to provide its UK National Digital Archive of Datasets facility for preserving and making available Government electronic datasets.

Rosie Winterton: The Public Record Office (PRO) has let a contract to provide its UK National Digital Archive of Datasets facility for preserving and making available Government datasets to the University of London Computing Centre. The purpose of the contract is to enable the PRO to use highly specialist skills of the University of London in the long-term preservation of electronic data so that the PRO can fulfil its obligation under the Public Records Act 1958 to preserve and make available to the public datasets selected for permanent preservation. Further information about the service and access to those datasets which are open to public inspection under the terms of the Public Records Act 1958 is available on the PRO website at: http://www.pro.gov.uk/ recordsmanagement/uknda/default.htm.

Newcastle University Research (Family Law Act)

John Bercow: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if she will make a statement on the £110,000 awarded in 2001–02 as grant in aid to Newcastle University for research into provision of information meetings.

Rosie Winterton: The Department is funding further research following the Final Evaluation Report on Information Meetings and Associated Provisions within the Family Law Act 1996, which was published on 16 January 2001. The study will follow up some of the volunteers who participated in the pilot information meetings, to assess the longer term outcomes in their cases over a 30-month period and in particular to assess what use they have made of the information provided to them. The research will contribute to the development of policy on providing information to divorcing couples, and to the development of Family Advice and Information Networks. The amount of grant in aid to be paid in 2001–02 is approximately £80,000, and it is expected that the total cost of the study will not exceed £191,500. The report of its findings is expected in June 2002 and will be published.

Jury Deliberations

Lynne Jones: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will lift the ban on research into the deliberations of juries.

Michael Wills: Research into the deliberations of juries is subject to the provisions of section 8(1) of the Contempt of Court Act 1981. Sir Robin Auld in his recent report on the criminal courts recommended that no amendment should be made to section 8(1) of the Contempt of Court Act. The Government have made no decisions in relation to any of the Auld recommendations, and the report is currently the subject of public consultation.

Queen's Counsel

Tom Cox: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many (a) male and (b) female members of ethnic communities are Queen's Counsel.

Rosie Winterton: Statistics held by the General Council of the Bar show that as at 7 November 2001, out of a total of 1,086 Queen's Counsel, 23 men and two women have stated that they are members of ethnic minority communities, although these statements are voluntary and not definitive.

Asylum Appeals

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what proportion of the additional money granted to the Lord Chancellor's Department to clear the backlog of asylum appeals will be made available to the Legal Services Commission for representation for appellants; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: In total an additional £80 million has been granted to the Community Legal Service Fund for the three year period 2001–02 to 2003–04 to meet the additional pressures that result from the Government's plans for speeding up the asylum process and reducing the backlog of cases. That sum represents 29 per cent. of the total additional money granted to the Department for asylum matters.

PRIME MINISTER

Sellafield

Llew Smith: To ask the Prime Minister what representations he has received since September from his Irish counterpart in respect of Sellafield; and what response he has made.

Tony Blair: The Taoiseach and I discussed the Sellafield MOX Plant on 8 October. I subsequently wrote to the Taoiseach about the matter.

Sellafield

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Prime Minister what response Her Majesty's Government have made to the request by the Government of the Republic of Ireland on 26 October for a voluntary suspension of the authorisation of the Sellafield Mox plant; and if he will make a statement.

Tony Blair: The decision that the manufacture of MOX fuel was justified was made by the Secretaries of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and for Health on 3 October. The Government of the Republic of Ireland are challenging this decision in the International Tribunal of the Law of the Sea. The Secretaries of State have declined Ireland's request to suspend their decision.

Peoples' Peers

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on his plans for peoples' peers.

Tony Blair: The Government's White Paper on further reform of the House of Lords "The House of Lords—Completing the Reform" CM 5291 proposes that the statutory appointments commission will select independent members of the reformed House on the basis of defined criteria on experience, commitment and the overall balance of representation in the Chamber.

Anji Hunter

Norman Baker: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  if he will list the dates on which he was informed of offers of employment made by BP to Anji Hunter;
	(2)  when he was informed of Anji Hunter's intention to leave his employ.

Tony Blair: holding answer 15 November 2001
	Ms Hunter had planned to leave her job after the general election, and had been in discussions with BP. I asked her to stay on to help see in the new Government and bed down the new structures which were being put in place. However, there had always been an understanding that she would be likely to leave in the autumn. BP announced her employment on Thursday 8 November.
	Ms Hunter followed the requirements of the business appointments rules to which she is subject.

BP

Norman Baker: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the dates since 1 May 1997 on which (a) he, (b) one or more of his special advisers, (c) one or more civil servants based at 10 Downing street and (d) one or more civil servants based within the Cabinet Office have met representatives from BP, setting out the purpose and consequence of each such meeting.

Tony Blair: holding answer 15 November 2001
	It is not the normal practice of the Government to release details of meetings or discussions with private individuals or companies.

Legal Appointment

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Prime Minister when he expects the announcement of the appointment of the Lord President of the Court of Session and Lord Justice General of Scotland to be made.

Tony Blair: It was announced on Tuesday 13 November that the right hon. Lord Cullen be appointed Lord President of the Court of Session. On appointment as Lord President, Lord Cullen also becomes Lord Justice General.

National Missile Defence

Alan Simpson: To ask the Prime Minister to what extent the events of 11 September have changed the assessment of protection afforded by the proposed national missile defence system.

Tony Blair: The proposed missile defence systems are not designed to protect against the type of attack seen on 11 September. The events of 11 September have shown however that there are those who will seek to attack, with whatever means are available, the United States, its friends and allies. In the future, this might include ballistic missiles. Our position with regard to missile defence remains unchanged. We believe that it is important to tackle all these potential threats with a comprehensive strategy that includes arms control, counter-proliferation, diplomacy, deterrence and defensive measures. We understand the role that missile defence can play as one element of that comprehensive strategy, but as yet we have had no specific proposal from the United States.

National Missile Defence

Alan Simpson: To ask the Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the compatibility of the Outer Space Treaty with the proposed US national missile defence programme as it applies to use of UK bases.

Tony Blair: The United States Administration have not yet decided how they will proceed with their missile defence programme and have made no requests for the use of facilities in the UK for missile defence purposes. Any specific assessment is therefore premature.

Hydrofluorocarbons

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Prime Minister what percentage of plant and equipment installed in 10 Downing Street in the past 12 months contains HFCs.

Tony Blair: holding answer 16 November 2001
	In accordance with the UK Climate Change Programme, Government policy is that wherever possible HFCs are only used where other safe, technically feasible, cost effective and more environmentally acceptable alternatives do not exist.
	During the last 12 months 27 cooling units have been installed which contain HFCs. The manufacturer does not offer the option of non-HFC refrigerant because the available non-HFC refrigerants are not safe to use either in occupied enclosed spaces or enclosed spaces containing electrical equipment. All these systems comply with all relevant European Standards on the use of HFCs and safety in the workplace.

Ministerial Meeting (Indian Prime Minister)

Keith Vaz: To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on his discussions with the Prime Minister of India in London on 12 November.

Tony Blair: I met the Indian Prime Minister, Sri A B Vajpayee, in London for talks on 12 November. These talks followed on from discussions we had held when I visited New Delhi on 6 October. The 12 November talks focused largely on the coalition campaign against terrorism which India strongly supports, and the future of Afghanistan. The talks were timely and productive, and demonstrated the strength of the bilateral relationship.

Forward Strategy Unit

Norman Baker: To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the methods by which public accountability of the Forward Strategy Unit is achieved.

Tony Blair: The unit reports direct to me and is headed by Geoff Mulgan, who is also Director of the Performance and Innovation Unit in the Cabinet Office.

Forward Strategy Unit

Norman Baker: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  what the purpose of the Forward Strategy Unit is; and what its aims, objectives and workplan are for (a) 2001–02 and (b) 2002–03;
	(2)  what mechanism exist to prevent the use of the Forward Strategy Unit for party political purposes; and what independent checks exist to ensure such mechanisms are effective.

Tony Blair: The Forward Strategy Unit's role is to provide long-term internal strategic analysis and policy thinking for me and other Cabinet Ministers.
	The work of the Forward Strategy Unit is undertaken in line with the requirements of the Ministerial Code and the Civil Service Code.

Forward Strategy Unit

Norman Baker: To ask the Prime Minister in respect of the Forward Strategy Unit, what the budget is for (a) 2001–02 and (b) 2002–03; and how many (i) officials and (ii) special advisers are presently deployed to this unit.

Tony Blair: The budget for the Forward Strategy Unit is still being finalised.
	At 1 September 2001, there were 15 civil servants in the unit, and no special advisers.

Official Visits

Norman Baker: To ask the Prime Minister which constituencies he has visited on official duties since 1 May 1997; and on how many occasions in each case.

Tony Blair: I undertake visits to all parts of the country, but records of official visits are not held on a constituency basis and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Shipping Services (Scotland)

Alan Reid: To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on departmental responsibility for financial assistance to shipping services between a port within Scotland and one outside Scotland.

Tony Blair: This is a reserved matter for the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions.

HEALTH

Special Schools

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if residential special schools have to be registered with his Department.

Jacqui Smith: Currently residential special schools are required to register with the Department for Education and Skills, and the responsibility for welfare inspections lies with the local authority.
	In April 2002 residential special schools will be required to register with the National Care Standards Commission when it takes on responsibility for the welfare inspections of boarding schools. Residential special schools will still be required to register with the DfES, which is responsible for educational inspections.

NHS Underspend

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how will the underspend in the NHS this year be allocated in the next financial year.

John Hutton: Any underspends by health authorities, primary care trusts and national health service trusts in 2001–02 will be added to their resource budgets in 2002–03.

NHS Underspend

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his latest estimate is of the level of underspending by the NHS in the last financial year.

John Hutton: The provisional underspend for health and personal social services in 2000–01 is £692 million. This includes health authorities, primary care trusts and national health service trusts. Final figures for 2000–01 will not be available until the annual accounts have been completed.
	Over one third of this sum was a planned contingency to meet costs falling in the current financial year. The total underspend has been carried forward and is being used on provision of health care in this financial year.

NHS Specialists

Paul Stinchcombe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the national shortage of (a) psychiatrists, (b) occupational therapists, (c) speech and language therapists, (d) GPs and (e) healthcare professionals engaged in palliative care in the national health service.

John Hutton: The NHS Plan recognises that the national health service needs more staff and commits the Government to increasing the size of the NHS work force. By 2004 there will be 7,500 more consultants, 1,000 more specialist registrars, 2,000 more general practitioners, 20,000 extra nurses and over 6,500 extra therapists and other health professionals over a 1999 baseline. We have since rolled these targets forward and by 2005 there will be at least 10,000 more doctors and 20,000 more nurses over a 2000 baseline.
	We are also increasing training numbers. Numbers of psychiatric specialist registrars (SpRs) are planned to increase by over 130 and palliative medicine SpRs by 15 during the period 2001 to 2004. There will be an additional 4,500 therapists and other health professionals (including occupational therapists and speech and language therapists) in the next three years as a result of the NHS Plan. We are also increasing general practitioner retainer numbers by 550 and nurse training commissions by 5,500 over the next three years.
	The increases in all staff groups are essential for delivering the service improvements set out in the NHS Plan and improving access and delivering quality services at the right time in the right place.

Health Spending

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the level of spending on health per weighted head of population was in each English health authority area in 2000–01;
	(2)  what the levels of spending on health per head of population were in each English health authority area for the year 2000–01.

John Hutton: The spending on health per head of population and the spending per weighted head of population for each English health authority is given in the table.
	
		£ 
		
			 Health authority Spending per head Spending per weighted head 
		
		
			 Avon 760.44 810.53 
			 Barking and Havering 783.61 748.55 
			 Barnet 938.60 939.62 
			 Barnsley 810.90 739.66 
			 Bedfordshire 678.73 739.78 
			 Berkshire 663.59 757.49 
			 Bexley and Greenwich 850.60 828.82 
			 Birmingham 799.05 764.32 
			 Bradford 716.32 692.45 
			 Brent and Harrow 842.05 804.74 
			 Bromley 770.03 791.35 
			 Buckinghamshire 628.52 730.37 
			 Bury and Rochdale 777.01 740.61 
			 Calderdale and Kirklees 752.16 742.27 
			 Cambridgeshire 645.05 727.68 
			 Camden and Islington 1,309.52 974.71 
			 Cornwall and Isles of Scilly 768.07 766.48 
			 County Durham and Darlington 781.89 707.44 
			 Coventry 756.20 733.34 
			 Croydon 872.21 896.26 
			 Doncaster 758.20 710.42 
			 Dorset 922.53 932.50 
			 Dudley 699.19 728.03 
			 Ealing, Hammersmith and Hounslow 890.48 801.92 
			 East and North Hertfordshire 679.89 755.61 
			 East Kent 789.01 766.12 
			 East Lancashire 774.59 706.83 
			 East London and The City 1,050.29 812.98 
			 East Riding and Hull 756.85 770.24 
			 East Surrey 811.30 872.74 
			 East Sussex, Brighton and Hove 814.92 778.73 
			 Enfield and Haringey 853.78 791.72 
			 Gateshead and South Tyneside 827.72 727.09 
			 Gloucestershire 709.58 778.71 
			 Herefordshire 630.53 671.61 
			 Hillingdon 614.16 614.53 
			 Isle of Wight 902.29 836.61 
			 Kensington, Chelsea and Westminster 1,124.30 878.86 
			 Kingston and Richmond 766.23 795.64 
			 Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham 1,050.63 852.49 
			 Leeds 792.61 785.61 
			 Leicestershire 695.29 762.11 
			 Lincolnshire 726.96 746.46 
			 Liverpool 937.36 808.94 
			 Manchester 897.69 761.45 
			 Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth 833.71 796.03 
			 Morecambe Bay 802.77 794.67 
			 Newcastle and North Tyneside 875.42 787.58 
			 Norfolk 727.29 760.50 
			 North and East Devon 755.94 769.90 
			 North and Mid Hampshire 675.63 813.99 
			 North Cheshire 765.81 756.15 
			 North Cumbria 747.18 757.42 
			 North Derbyshire 709.66 719.00 
			 North Essex 717.97 777.34 
			 North Nottinghamshire 680.19 679.24 
			 North Staffordshire 764.16 725.72 
			 North West Lancashire 823.75 746.26 
			 North Yorkshire 712.46 763.24 
			 Northamptonshire 668.89 734.29 
			 Northumberland 759.70 751.21 
			 Nottingham 773.74 780.25 
			 Oxfordshire 663.94 779.26 
			 Portsmouth and South East Hampshire 692.27 733.14 
			 Redbridge and Waltham Forest 836.65 812.97 
			 Rotherham 785.72 742.99 
			 Salford and Trafford 847.61 784.35 
			 Sandwell 806.21 744.36 
			 Sefton 1,109.10 1,023.16 
			 Sheffield 818.63 769.93 
			 Shropshire 693.26 740.93 
			 Solihull 680.80 736.55 
			 Somerset 710.45 754.86 
			 South and West Devon 736.99 735.69 
			 South Cheshire 701.33 743.64 
			 South Essex 683.81 717.08 
			 South Humber 713.80 721.20 
			 South Lancashire 728.91 765.98 
			 South Staffordshire 659.48 735.88 
			 Southampton and South West Hampshire 707.61 758.07 
			 Southern Derbyshire 679.51 706.49 
			 St. Helens and Knowsley 797.28 722.31 
			 Stockport 724.05 746.47 
			 Suffolk 684.27 757.91 
			 Sunderland 855.34 760.22 
			 Tees 829.28 768.50 
			 Wakefield 826.37 801.36 
			 Walsall 775.51 739.30 
			 Warwickshire 708.45 771.73 
			 West Hertfordshire 716.30 765.17 
			 West Kent 674.81 744.60 
			 West Pennine 765.01 712.85 
			 West Surrey 725.53 809.35 
			 West Sussex 735.31 742.11 
			 Wigan and Bolton 773.24 717.35 
			 Wiltshire 714.72 807.29 
			 Wirral 822.16 758.47 
			 Wolverhampton 790.82 739.83 
			 Worcestershire 717.78 801.38 
			
			 All England 770.91 770.91 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Expenditure is taken from health authority and primary care trust summarisation forms which are prepared on a resource basis and therefore differ from cash allocations in the year. The expenditure is the total spent on the purchase of health care by the health authority and by the primary care trusts within the health authority area. The majority of General Dental Services expenditure is not included in the health authority or primary care trust accounts and is separately accounted for by the Dental Practice Board.
	2. Some health authorities act as lead commissioners for particular specialities which inflates their figures when compared with others and also causes differences between years. Other factors may also distort the figures so the results are therefore not all directly comparable with each other and with answers to similar questions for previous years.
	Sources:
	1. Health authority audited summarisation forms 2000–01
	2. Primary care trust audited summarisation schedules 2000–01
	3. Mid year population estimates and weighted population estimates for 2000–01

Health Spending

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list for each health authority area in England, the expenditure on health, by weighted head of population, expressed in real terms for each of the last two years for which figures are available.

John Hutton: The expenditure on health by weighted head of population in real terms for each health authority area in England for the two latest years is shown in the table.
	
		£ 
		
			 Health authority 1999–2000 2000–01 
		
		
			 Avon 747.51 810.53 
			 Barking and Havering 700.84 748.55 
			 Barnet 768.20 939.62 
			 Barnsley 679.59 739.66 
			 Bedfordshire 696.69 739.78 
			 Berkshire 718.34 757.49 
			 Bexley and Greenwich 793.77 828.82 
			 Birmingham 749.03 764.32 
			 Bradford 724.17 692.45 
			 Brent and Harrow 823.35 804.74 
			 Bromley 793.39 791.35 
			 Buckinghamshire 685.31 730.37 
			 Bury and Rochdale 707.36 740.61 
			 Calderdale and Kirklees 691.84 742.27 
			 Cambridgeshire 702.68 727.68 
			 Camden and Islington 834.92 974.71 
			 Cornwall and Isles of Scilly 751.33 766.48 
			 County Durham 675.16 707.44 
			 Coventry 676.64 733.34 
			 Croydon 712.27 896.26 
			 Doncaster 711.02 710.42 
			 Dorset 743.89 932.50 
			 Dudley 684.70 728.03 
			 Ealing, Hammersmith and Hounslow 747.62 801.92 
			 East and North Hertfordshire 707.99 755.61 
			 East Kent 703.87 766.12 
			 East Lancashire 720.19 706.83 
			 East London and The City 789.78 812.98 
			 East Riding 716.52 770.24 
			 East Surrey 837.92 872.74 
			 East Sussex, Brighton and Hove 780.63 778.73 
			 Enfield and Haringey 717.28 791.72 
			 Gateshead and South Tyneside 677.22 727.09 
			 Gloucestershire 745.23 778.71 
			 Herefordshire 825.52 671.61 
			 Hillingdon 719.40 614.53 
			 Isle of Wight 773.74 836.61 
			 Kensington, Chelsea and Westminster 795.92 878.86 
			 Kingston and Richmond 769.12 795.64 
			 Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham 804.71 852.49 
			 Leeds 755.50 785.61 
			 Leicestershire 739.63 762.11 
			 Lincolnshire 725.73 746.46 
			 Liverpool 749.48 808.94 
			 Manchester 787.86 761.45 
			 Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth 839.01 796.03 
			 Morecambe Bay 786.62 794.67 
			 Newcastle and North Tyneside 787.25 787.58 
			 Norfolk 740.53 760.50 
			 North and East Devon 724.43 769.90 
			 North and Mid Hampshire 735.98 813.99 
			 North Cheshire 721.36 756.15 
			 North Cumbria 704.01 757.42 
			 North Derbyshire 684.19 719.00 
			 North Essex 740.78 777.34 
			 North Nottinghamshire 715.05 679.24 
			 North Staffordshire 687.60 725.72 
			 North West Lancashire 721.61 746.26 
			 North Yorkshire 722.87 763.24 
			 Northamptonshire 713.85 734.29 
			 Northumberland 752.58 751.21 
			 Nottingham 723.95 780.25 
			 Oxfordshire 733.57 779.26 
			 Portsmouth and South East Hampshire 682.05 733.14 
			 Redbridge and Waltham Forest 748.03 812.97 
			 Rotherham 702.11 742.99 
			 Salford and Trafford 740.20 784.35 
			 Sandwell 709.97 744.36 
			 Sefton 719.10 1,023.16 
			 Sheffield 771.96 769.93 
			 Shropshire 729.71 740.94 
			 Solihull 700.29 736.55 
			 Somerset 709.49 754.86 
			 South and West Devon 726.34 735.69 
			 South Cheshire 709.08 743.64 
			 South Derbyshire 688.78 717.08 
			 South Essex 673.43 721.20 
			 South Humber 784.66 765.98 
			 South Lancashire 748.52 735.88 
			 South Staffordshire 699.52 758.07 
			 Southampton and South West Hampshire 738.44 706.49 
			 St. Helens and Knowsley 670.55 722.31 
			 Stockport 728.46 746.47 
			 Suffolk 717.21 757.91 
			 Sunderland 688.21 760.22 
			 Tees 735.18 768.50 
			 Wakefield 713.77 801.36 
			 Walsall 726.59 739.30 
			 Warwickshire 741.27 771.73 
			 West Hertfordshire 725.94 765.17 
			 West Kent 771.41 744.60 
			 West Pennine 674.21 712.85 
			 West Surrey 781.74 809.35 
			 West Sussex 694.99 742.11 
			 Wigan and Bolton 660.84 717.35 
			 Wiltshire 776.22 807.29 
			 Wirral 717.31 758.47 
			 Wolverhampton 698.10 739.83 
			 Worcestershire 731.92 801.38 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Expenditure is taken from health authority and primary care trust summarisation forms which are prepared on a resource basis and therefore differ from cash allocations in the year. The expenditure is the total spent on the purchase of health care by the health authority and by the primary care trusts within the health authority area. The majority of general dental services expenditure is not included in the health authority or primary care trust accounts and is separately accounted for by the Dental Practice Board.
	2. Some health authorities act as lead commissioners for particular specialties which inflates their figures when compared with others and also causes differences between years. Other factors may also distort the figures so the results are therefore not all directly comparable with each other and with answers to similar questions for previous years.
	Source:
	Health authority audited summarisation forms 1999–2000 and 2000–01. Primary care trust audited summarisation schedules 2000–01. Weighted population estimates for 1999–2000 and 2000–01. GDP deflator at market prices with 2000–01 as the base year.

Nursing and Midwifery

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will amend the draft Nursing and Midwifery Order 2001 to include health visiting in the title of the new Nursing and Midwifery Council; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what recent representations he has received about the draft Nursing and Midwifery Order 2001 and the regulation of health visitors; and if he will place them in the Library;
	(3)  what plans he has to regulate the profession of health visiting.

John Hutton: We have undertaken extensive consultation on the proposals to establish a new Nursing and Midwifery Council. The draft legislation recognises health visitors' special contribution to public health and contains a number of safeguards for health visiting. There will be a separate part of the register for health visitors, protection of their professional title and they will be guaranteed equal representation on the council with nurses and midwives. Legislation is in the final stages of preparation and will be published shortly, together with a report on consultation. There are no plans to amend the proposed title of the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

NHS Staff

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health by what means the published figures for the proposed establishments for (a) GPs, (b) nurses and (c) consultants are collated; and what account is taken of drop-out rates.

John Hutton: The analysis of the number of additional health professional staff required during the period of the NHS Plan was based principally on work done in support of the National Service Frameworks and delivery of waiting, booking and access commitments.
	The increases are net increases and take account of staff leaving the national health service and attrition during training. They are based on what is deliverable from training, recruitment and retention initiatives and international recruitment.

Consultants

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many unfilled consultant posts there are within the NHS in England and Wales, broken down by region.

John Hutton: The data collected for England are in the tables. The information relating to Wales is a matter for the devolved Administration.
	
		Department of health vacancies survey, March 2001—vacancies in national health service trusts by region, and medical and dental consultants—three month vacancies
		
			  Total consultants(39) 
		
		
			 England 670 
			   
			 Northern and Yorkshire 110 
			 Trent 70 
			 West midlands 90 
			 North west 130 
			 Eastern 60 
			 London 100 
			 South east 70 
			 South west 30 
		
	
	(39) Whole-time equivalents.
	Notes:
	1. Three month vacancies are vacancies as at 31 March 2001 which trusts are actively trying to fill, which had lasted for three months or more (whole-time equivalents).
	2. Numbers are round to the nearest 10.
	3. England totals include staff from special health authorities.
	4. Totals may not equal sum of component parts due to rounding.
	Source:
	Department of Health vacancies survey 2001.
	
		Department of health vacancies survey, March 2001—vacancies in NHS trusts by region, and medical and dental consultants—three month vacancy rates -- Percentage
		
			  Total consultants 
		
		
			 England 3.0 
			   
			 Northern and Yorkshire 3.6 
			 Trent 3.2 
			 West midlands 3.9 
			 North west 4.1 
			 Eastern 3.1 
			 London 2.5 
			 South east 2.2 
			 South west 1.4 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Three month vacancies are vacancies as at 31 March 2001 which trusts are actively trying to fill, which had lasted for three months or more (whole-time equivalents).
	2. Three month vacancy rates are three month vacancies expressed as a percentage of three month vacancies plus staff in post from the September 2000 medical and dental and non-medical work force censuses (whole-time equivalent).
	3. Percentages rounded to one decimal place.
	4. England percentages include staff from special health authorities.
	Source:
	Department of Health vacancies survey 2001.
	
		Hospital, public health medicine and community health services medical and dental consultants by region, 30 September 2000
		
			  Total consultants(40) 
		
		
			 England 22,140 
			   
			 Northern and Yorkshire 3,030 
			 Trent 2,180 
			 West midlands 2,230 
			 North west 3,120 
			 Eastern 1,970 
			 London 4,160 
			 South east 3,330 
			 South west 2,020 
		
	
	(40) Whole-time equivalents
	Notes:
	1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
	2. England totals include staff from special health authorities.
	3. Totals may not equal sum of component parts due to rounding.
	4. Figures cannot be used to calculate percentages.
	Source:
	Department of Health 2000 medical and dental work force census.

NICE

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the average length of time taken by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence to report on the cost effectiveness of drugs referred to them by the national health service.

Hazel Blears: The appraisal process takes about one year. The timetable can be longer for appraisals which are particularly complex or where the determination is subject to appeal.

Nurses

Matthew Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to encourage the retention of nursing staff.

John Hutton: We are fully committed to investing in national health service staff. The NHS Plan introduced the improving working lives standard, a model of good employment practices against which NHS organisations are measured. NHS organisations are required to provide a portfolio of evidence that they are improving the working lives of staff.

Nurses

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what impact the cost of living supplement has had on the recruitment of nurses in (a) qualifying and (b) non- qualifying health authorities.

John Hutton: holding answer 14 November 2001
	Cost of living supplements were introduced in April 2001 as part of a wide-ranging strategy to address recruitment and retention in the national health service. It is too early to judge the impact of these new payments. The Department is committed to monitoring the impact of COLS.

Northwood and Pinner Community Hospital

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what further proposals to develop services at Northwood and Pinner Community Hospital he has considered; and if he will make a statement.

John Hutton: The Hillingdon Local Modernisation Review aims to identify high priority areas for modernisation and development and will set the strategic context for the longer term development of Hillingdon health and social care services. Proposals relating to Northwood and Pinner Community Hospital will emerge from that work and will take account of the needs of Harrow residents. Any proposals for change will form the subject of full public consultation.

Overseas Treatment

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which professional and representative medical bodies he has consulted concerning the practicalities and consequences of NHS patients receiving treatment in other EU member states; what (a) legislative and (b) regulatory changes are necessary to allow such treatment; what EU legislation governs such arrangements and what duties it imposes; and if he will make a statement on the judgment of the European Court of Justice.

John Hutton: The recent judgments of the European Court of Justice in the joined cases Geraets-Smits/ Peerbooms and Case Vanbraekel (joined Cases C-157/99 and Case 368/98 respectively) marked a development in the interpretation of directly applicable provisions of European Community law. These provisions override even inconsistent national law and must be given effect to. The relevant provisions of the National Health Service Act 1977 will be amended in the interests of legal certainty. This can be done by regulations made under the European Communities Act 1972 and this is in hand. In the meantime health authorities and NHS trusts are free to commission services abroad. However, sending patients abroad does pose practical and legal problems surrounding patient welfare. Besides establishing three test-bed sites to develop processes for sending patients abroad officials are discussing the practical and legal issues involved with relevant colleagues and interested parties, including the British Medical Association.

Asylum Seekers

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to satisfy the health needs of asylum seekers.

John Hutton: Under national health service legislation, any asylum seeker given leave to remain in the United Kingdom or awaiting a decision on their application is regarded as ordinarily resident and is eligible for free treatment from a general practitioner and eligible to receive NHS hospital treatment. More specifically the Department is working with the Home Office to ensure that the health of asylum seekers is a key consideration in the reform of the asylum system announced recently by my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary. Also, officials are working with the Refugee Council to identify existing best practice in meeting the health and social care needs of asylum seekers dispersed through the National Asylum Support Service. This guidance is expected to be available early next year.

Royal United Hospital (Waiting Times)

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the trends in waiting times for MRI scans at the Royal United hospital, Bath in the last 12 months.

Jacqui Smith: The Department does not collect information on waiting times for MRI scans, however, information from the Royal United hospital, Bath national health service trust shows that between June 2001 and October 2001 the maximum waiting time had reduced by 1.3 months.
	The trust has been running additional sessions to reduce the waiting times. It has also appointed two additional consultant radiologists and two new senior radiographers which will enable the trust to increase MRI capacity.
	The RUH is looking to make a business case for a second MRI scanner.

National Service Frameworks

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what criteria the Government uses to decide the order in which national service frameworks are commissioned and released.

John Hutton: holding answer 6 November 2001
	In the selection of a topic for the national service framework programme, the main criteria are the importance of a health issue in terms of morbidity and mortality; the need for service improvement; and the capacity of the national health service and its partner agencies to implement the framework.

Beta Interferon

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the annual cost of prescribing beta interferon to all patients who need it under the pilot scheme.

Hazel Blears: We are currently holding discussions with the manufacturers to consider a range of options under which drugs for multiple sclerosis might be made available under the national health service. One option is a "risk sharing" scheme which will evaluate their clinical and cost-effectiveness, and until these discussions are concluded we cannot provide detailed information on potential numbers of patients and likely costs.

Anti-TNF Treatment

Martin Linton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the refusal of Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth NHS to fund anti-tumour necrosis factor treatment for a patient living in Battersea with rheumatoid arthritis.

Hazel Blears: Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth health authority recognise the potential benefit of anti-TNF treatments and are funding 24 patients who are part of an already established clinical trial. The health authority is not currently funding new patients. However, its health modernisation group is due to meet shortly to review the funding for these treatments. Funding for anti-TNF drugs will be considered along with other priorities as part of the HA process for financial planning for 2002–03.

Breastfeeding

Julia Drown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of (a) midwives and (b) health visitor training is dedicated to breastfeeding support; and how many hours training this involves.

Jacqui Smith: The United Kingdom Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting (UKCC) requires that all midwifery pre-registration students should be able to provide
	"advice and support on feeding babies and teaching women about the importance of nutrition in child development".
	The UKCC does not set any specific requirement for health visitor training on breastfeeding support. The statutory bodies do not define the hours required for specific topics within the total hours of the curriculum.

Cranial Osteopathy

Huw Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement about the provision of cranial osteopathy in the NHS.

Jacqui Smith: Decisions on national health service provision of complementary or alternative medicine treatments are made by those responsible for commissioning health services for patients locally.
	Osteopathy—of which cranial osteopathy is one form—is already available on the NHS, and is included in the information pack on complementary and alternative medicine for primary care groups which the Department published in July 2000.

Post-natal Care

Huw Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement about the post-natal care of mothers of multiple births.

Jacqui Smith: Post-natal care for women is provided on the basis of assessed health and parenting needs of the mother and baby rather than on the basis of the number of babies born. A range of family support services is available through health (doctors, midwives and health visitors) and social services.
	We are currently developing the National Service Framework for Children, which will include the setting of new standards of quality for maternity services and post-natal care for all women.

Red Card Scheme

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospitals are taking part in the red card scheme; how many (a) red and (b) yellow cards have been issued; and what changes have been observed in the levels of violence to staff in the hospitals involved.

Hazel Blears: The Department issued national guidelines to national health service trusts to help develop policies on withholding NHS treatment from violent and abusive patients on 2 November 2001. All trusts must consider the need to develop a local policy on withholding treatment from violent and abusive patients. Such policies and procedures should form part of local policies addressing safer working conditions and should be in place by April 2002.
	St. Bartholomews and the London NHS Trust introduced a policy on the withdrawal of treatment from violent patients, also known as the yellow and red card scheme, in September 2000. The policy has had a significant deterrent effect, and although the trust has issued eight yellow cards (formal written warnings), it has not proved necessary to issue red cards (withdrawal of treatment).

Impotence Treatments

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many responses to the public consultation on eligibility for impotence treatments were (a) against and (b) in favour of the current restrictions in prescribing treatments.

Hazel Blears: We received 220 responses from manufacturers, health professionals and patients. 202 expressed opposition to the current arrangements.
	The current system was introduced in 1999 to get a balance between treating men with impotence and protecting national health service resources to deal with other priorities including those with cancer, heart disease and mental health problems. Expenditure on impotence treatment drugs, at £25 million a year, is above what we expected and continues to increase. We have concluded that the extra cost of allowing unrestricted prescribing might be substantially higher leading to diversion of funds from other NHS priorities.

Repair and Maintenance

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the outstanding repair and maintenance backlog figures in each health authority in England are for each of the last two years.

John Hutton: Figures collected which generally reflect the cost of outstanding repair and maintenance of hospitals are known as the "cost to achieve Estatecode condition B". In relation to a building's physical condition this is the condition whereby the property is considered to be physically sound, operationally safe and exhibits only minor deterioration.
	Costs to achieve Estatecode condition B (physical condition) for the year 1999–2000, grouped into each health authority in England, are shown in the table. Similar costs for the year 2000–01 are still in the process of collection and validation and are unlikely to be available until early next year.
	Figures for special health authorities (SHA), figures are only collected in connection with special hospitals and therefore exclude costs relating to all other SHA organisations (for example, Family Health Services Appeal Authority, Commission for Health Improvement, NHS Information Authority).
	
		£ 
		
			 Health authority Cost to achieve estatecode Condition 1999–2000 
		
		
			 Avon 57,879,000 
			 Barking and Havering 28,934,000 
			 Barnet, Enfield and Haringey 46,206,000 
			 Barnsley 2,110,000 
			 Bedfordshire 12,804,000 
			 Berkshire 74,205,000 
			 Bexley, Bromley and Greenwich 70,395,000 
			 Birmingham 172,926,000 
			 Bradford 26,722,000 
			 Brent and Harrow 29,783,000 
			 Buckinghamshire 30,607,000 
			 Bury and Rochdale 7,539,000 
			 Calderdale and Kirklees 52,980,000 
			 Cambridgeshire 33,866,000 
			 Camden and Islington 79,819,000 
			 Cornwall and Isles of Scilly 13,279,000 
			 County Durham 13,538,000 
			 Coventry 74,391,000 
			 Croydon 31,100,000 
			 Doncaster 14,368,000 
			 Dorset 10,203,000 
			 Dudley 28,070,000 
			 Ealing, Hammersmith and Hounslow 96,230,000 
			 East Kent 11,517,000 
			 East Lancashire 29,117,000 
			 East London and The City 113,466,000 
			 East Riding 59,189,000 
			 East Surrey 4,802,000 
			 East Sussex, Brighton and Hove 18,970,000 
			 Gateshead and South Tyneside 7,228,000 
			 Gloucestershire 15,704,000 
			 Herefordshire 7,661,000 
			 Hertfordshire 80,084,000 
			 Hillingdon 6,030,000 
			 Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and South East Hampshire 9,422,000 
			 Kensington, Chelsea and Westminster 63,276,000 
			 Kingston and Richmond 8,667,000 
			 Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham 126,844,000 
			 Leeds 81,440,000 
			 Leicestershire 81,519,000 
			 Lincolnshire 32,449,000 
			 Liverpool 27,675,000 
			 Manchester 110,612,000 
			 Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth 35,151,000 
			 Morecambe Bay 11,700,000 
			 Newcastle and North Tyneside 44,542,000 
			 Norfolk 30,123,000 
			 North and East Devon 8,103,000 
			 North and Mid Hampshire 17,216,000 
			 North Cheshire 3,201,000 
			 North Cumbria 20,268,000 
			 North Derbyshire 5,748,000 
			 North Essex 38,632,000 
			 North Nottinghamshire 13,211,000 
			 North Staffordshire 40,824,000 
			 North West Lancashire 33,003,000 
			 North Yorkshire 23,115,000 
			 Northamptonshire 21,652,000 
			 Northumberland 15,984,000 
			 Nottingham 71,949,000 
			 Oxfordshire 52,084,000 
			 Redbridge and Waltham Forest 63,457,000 
			 Rotherham 4,306,000 
			 Salford and Trafford 17,681,000 
			 Sandwell 7,681,000 
			 Sefton 10,679,000 
			 Sheffield 27,142,000 
			 Shropshire 35,628,000 
			 Solihull 1,656,000 
			 Somerset 10,211,000 
			 South and West Deveon 13,210,000 
			 South Cheshire 5,266,000 
			 South Essex 17,333,000 
			 South Humber 5,073,000 
			 South Lancashire 4,855,000 
			 South Staffordshire 10,283,000 
			 Southampton and South West Hampshire 24,627,000 
			 Southern Derbyshire 4,565,000 
			 Special Trusts 9,022,000 
			 St. Helen's and Knowsley 8,095,000 
			 Stockport 16,168,000 
			 Suffolk 31,056,000 
			 Sunderland 11,621,000 
			 Tees 46,361,000 
			 Wakefield 30,028,000 
			 Walsall 7,402,000 
			 Warwickshire 6,093,000 
			 West Kent 78,524,000 
			 West Pennine 10,207,000 
			 West Surrey 21,332,000 
			 West Sussex 50,027,000 
			 Wigan and Bolton 12,343,000 
			 Wiltshire 30,824,000 
			 Wirral 8,877,000 
			 Wolverhampton 18,831,000 
			 Worcestershire 23,655,000 
			  
			 Grand total 3,074,431,000 
		
	
	Note:
	Special health authorities include special hospitals only (e.g. Ashworth, Rampton and Broadmoor)

Vacancies

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many vacancies per health authority there were in England, broken down by (a) dental and medical staff, (b) nursing and midwifery staff and (c) professions allied to medicine, in each of the last two years for which figures are available.

John Hutton: The information requested is in the table.
	
		Department of health vacancies survey, March 2001. Number of 3 month vacancies—by region and health authority areas -- whole-time equivalents
		
			   All medical and dental  Qualified nurses  Qualified allied health professionals  
			 Health authority 2000 2001 2000 2001 2000 2001 
		
		
			 England 770 920 10,110 9,000 1,450 1,820 
			
			 Northern and Yorkshire 130 150 840 760 130 240 
			 Bradford 20 10 80 70 10 20 
			 Calderdale and Kirlees 20 20 50 90 10 10 
			 County Durham and Darlington 10 20 30 10 10 10 
			 East Riding and Hull 10 20 20 90 10 20 
			 Gateshead and South Tyneside 10 10 30 20 10 10 
			 Leeds 10 10 240 200 30 60 
			 Newcastle and North Tyneside 10 0 260 40 10 10 
			 North Cumbria 10 10 10 20 0 20 
			 North Yorkshire 10 0 10 20 0 20 
			 Northumberland 10 20 40 40 20 20 
			 Sunderland 0 20 10 10 0 10 
			 Tees 0 20 30 110 10 10 
			 Wakefield 10 10 30 40 10 20 
			 Trent 60 90 490 410 90 110 
			 Barnsley 0 10 10 20 0 10 
			 Doncaster 10 10 20 20 10 10 
			 Leicestershire 10 0 130 50 10 0 
			 Lincolnshire 0 10 0 50 0 30 
			 North Derbyshire 0 0 10 20 0 10 
			 North Nottinghamshire 10 10 20 20 0 0 
			 Nottingham 10 10 110 150 20 10 
			 Rotherham 10 10 10 20 0 10 
			 Sheffield 0 10 90 60 10 0 
			 South Humber 10 20 20 10 20 20 
			 Southern Derbyshire 0 10 60 10 10 10 
			
			 West Midlands 80 110 950 810 150 210 
			 Birmingham 30 30 350 180 40 80 
			 Coventry 10 10 70 90 10 30 
			 Dudley 0 10 60 50 10 10 
			 Herefordshire 0 10 0 40 0 10 
			 North Staffordshire 10 20 120 170 10 30 
			 Sandwell 0 0 80 70 20 10 
			 Shropshire 0 0 30 90 20 30 
			 Solihull 0 0 30 10 0 0 
			 South Staffordshire 0 10 20 20 10 20 
			 Walsall 10 10 50 10 20 30 
			 Warwickshire 0 10 50 50 0 20 
			 Wolverhampton 0 10 80 10 10 30 
			 Worcestershire 10 10 30 20 20 10 
			
			 North West 100 160 780 940 160 220 
			 Bury and Rochdale 10 10 40 30 10 10 
			 East Lancashire 10 20 10 40 10 30 
			 Liverpool 20 20 80 50 20 10 
			 Manchester 10 20 150 160 30 30 
			 Morecambe Bay 10 10 10 10 0 0 
			 North Cheshire 0 10 30 140 10 20 
			 North West Lancashire 0 10 130 70 10 10 
			 Salford and Trafford 0 0 50 90 10 10 
			 Sefton 0 10 30 50 10 10 
			 South Cheshire 0 10 30 30 10 10 
			 South Lancashire 0 10 10 30 0 10 
			 St. Helens and Knowsley 10 10 30 40 10 10 
			 Stockport 0 0 20 40 10 10 
			 West Pennine 10 10 70 50 20 50 
			 Wigan and Bolton 10 10 80 60 0 10 
			 Wirral 0 0 20 40 20 10 
			
			 Eastern 80 80 1,130 720 190 160 
			 Bedfordshire 0 0 40 40 0 10 
			 Cambridgeshire 20 10 350 110 50 30 
			 East and North Hertfordshire 10 0 150 110 30 40 
			 Norfolk 0 20 70 150 20 30 
			 North Essex 10 10 240 80 50 10 
			 South Essex 0 20 30 30 0 20 
			 Suffolk 20 10 50 10 20 0 
			 West Hertfordshire 10 0 190 180 30 20 
			
			 London 170 160 3,360 2,960 410 470 
			 Barking and Havering 20 10 100 130 30 40 
			 Barnet 0 0 70 30 10 20 
			 Bexley and Greenwich 10 10 110 180 0 20 
			 Brent and Harrow 10 0 110 110 20 30 
			 Bromley 10 10 120 100 0 10 
			 Camden and Islington 20 10 590 280 40 40 
			 Croydon 0 10 70 40 20 10 
			 Ealing, Hammersmith and Hounslow 10 10 380 340 40 60 
			 East London and the City 20 20 80 70 30 40 
			 Enfield and Haringey 0 10 10 60 10 10 
			 Hillingdon 0 0 480 330 0 10 
			 Kensington, Chelsea and Westminster 10 10 130 10 50 30 
			 Kingston and Richmond 10 0 490 630 20 0 
			 Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham 50 40 200 280 80 60 
			 Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth 0 10 320 310 30 60 
			 Redbridge and Waltham Forest 10 10 100 80 30 30

General Practitioners

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many general practitioners, expressed as whole-time equivalents per 100,000 weighted population, there were for (a) each health authority and (b) in total in England for the last two years for which figures are available.

John Hutton: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		Unrestricted principals and equivalents (UPEs)(41), estimated whole-time equivalents(42) per 1000, weighted population(43) by health authority: England 1999 and 2000
		
			 Region/HA name 1999 2000 
		
		
			 Northern and Yorkshire   
			 Bradford 58.0 57.5 
			 Calderdale and Kirklees 52.2 51.7 
			 County Durham and Darlington Health Commission 49.0 48.4 
			 East Riding and Hull 50.6 50.3 
			 Gateshead and South Tyneside 48.6 49.3 
			 Leeds Healthcare 55.5 55.1 
			 Newcastle and North Tyneside 52.5 53.0 
			 North Cumbria 62.2 61.2 
			 North Yorkshire 61.5 61.8 
			 Northumberland 58.2 57.6 
			 Sunderland 44.9 45.3 
			 Tees 50.0 49.4 
			 Wakefield Healthcare 52.3 53.7 
			
			 Trent   
			 Barnsley 43.9 44.7 
			 Doncaster 47.4 47.6 
			 Leicestershire 55.9 55.1 
			 Lincolnshire 53.7 52.9 
			 North Derbyshire 51.8 49.8 
			 North Nottinghamshire 50.2 49.7 
			 Nottingham 51.8 52.5 
			 Rotherham 44.7 45.7 
			 Sheffield 56.3 55.7 
			 South Derbyshire 51.9 52.8 
			 South Humber 52.7 52.4 
			
			 Eastern   
			 Bedfordshire 53.3 53.3 
			 Cambridge and Huntingdon 53.5 55.6 
			 East and North Hertfordshire 53.1 51.3 
			 Norfolk 58.5 58.0 
			 North Essex 53.9 53.6 
			 South Essex 47.3 47.5 
			 Suffolk 57.3 57.5 
			 West Hertfordshire 55.0 54.6 
			
			 London   
			 Barking and Havering 42.9 44.8 
			 Barnet 53.3 53.4 
			 Bexley and Greenwich 47.2 46.7 
			 Brent and Harrow 54.6 53.7 
			 Bromley 48.5 49.1 
			 Camden and Islington 42.8 43.5 
			 Croydon 49.2 47.8 
			 Ealing, Hammersmith and Hounslow 48.5 47.6 
			 East London and the City 46.8 47.5 
			 Enfield and Haringey 51.3 52.5 
			 Hillingdon 43.2 42.6 
			 Kensington, Chelsea and Westminster 28.8 27.9 
			 Kingston and Richmond 49.7 48.3 
			 Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham 47.0 48.1 
			 Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth 46.8 47.7 
			 Redbridge and Waltham Forest 50.0 49.0 
			
			 South Eastern   
			 Berkshire 52.8 51.3 
			 Buckinghamshire 54.7 54.8 
			 East Kent 50.1 50.3 
			 East Surrey 49.4 50.1 
			 East Sussex, Brighton and Hove 50.9 50.8 
			 Isle of Wight Health Commission 59.0 58.2 
			 North and Mid Hampshire 56.8 56.1 
			 Northamptonshire 56.4 55.1 
			 Oxfordshire 58.4 57.8 
			 Portsmouth and South-East Hampshire 53.9 54.3 
			 Southampton and South-West Hampshire 55.5 55.6 
			 West Kent 54.8 54.5 
			 West Surrey 49.7 50.4 
			 West Sussex 51.2 51.5 
			
			 South Western   
			 Avon 55.2 55.0 
			 Cornwall and Isles of Scilly 59.4 59.1 
			 Dorset 57.9 57.8 
			 Gloucestershire 60.3 60.3 
			 North and East Devon 60.6 59.8 
			 Somerset 60.5 60.2 
			 South and West Devon 58.1 58.0 
			 Wiltshire 55.9 56.8 
			
			 West Midlands   
			 Birmingham 54.6 54.2 
			 Coventry 53.6 53.7 
			 Dudley 50.9 49.4 
			 Herefordshire 61.1 60.3 
			 North Staffordshire 47.8 46.9 
			 Sandwell 49.8 49.9 
			 Shropshire 58.2 56.4 
			 Solihull 51.9 53.4 
			 South Staffordshire 53.9 52.9 
			 Walsall 50.6 51.2 
			 Warwickshire 53.7 53.7 
			 Wolverhampton 48.9 51.0 
			 Worcestershire 57.0 56.1 
			   
			 North West   
			 Bury and Rochdale 53.6 53.1 
			 East Lancashire 50.8 49.9 
			 Liverpool 49.1 49.7 
			 Manchester Health 54.3 53.8 
			 Morecambe Bay 56.7 56.3 
			 North Cheshire 48.7 50.2 
			 North West Lancashire 48.7 48.7 
			 Salford and Trafford 51.3 51.2 
			 Sefton 47.9 48.6 
			 South Cheshire 54.0 54.7 
			 South Lancashire 53.1 51.5 
			 St. Helens and Knowsley 49.4 48.5 
			 Stockport Health 55.4 54.4 
			 West Pennine 50.0 48.9 
			 Wigan and Bolton 46.6 47.2 
			 Wirral 56.3 58.2 
			  
			 England total 62.4 52.3 
		
	
	(41) UPEs includes GMS Unrestricted Principals, PMS Contracted GPs and PMS Salaried GPs
	(42) WTE data have been estimated using the results from the 1992–93 GMP Workload Survey
	(43) HA population data have been weighted using the GMS cash limited age and needs formula used in 1999–2000 and 2000–01
	Notes:
	1. Full time = 1.00 wte; three quarter time = 0.69 wte; job share = 0.65 wte; half-time = 0.60 wte
	2. Data as at 1 October 1999 and 30 September 2000
	3. This is based on information on actual hours worked by GPs with different contractual commitments
	Source:
	Department of Health General and Personal Medical Services Statistics and ONS Population estimates adjusted for temporary residents, cross boundary flows, rural practices and weighted for GMS CL age and need

Public-private Partnerships

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the projects which have been considered as potential public-private partnerships since 1997 which have not been undertaken because the public sector comparator had a lower net present value than the public-private partnership proposed; and if he will make a statement.

John Hutton: Private finance initiative was considered for the eight schemes listed but in each case did not produce a suitable value for money solution:
	Rochdale Healthcare National Health Service Trust (Rochdale Infirmary development)
	Royal Berkshire and Battle NHS Trust (consolidation of services)
	Central Sheffield University Hospitals NHS Trust (Stonegrove Maternity unit)
	Guy's and St. Thomas' NHS Trust (reconfiguration of services)
	Thames Gateway NHS Trust (Isle of Sheppey Community Hospital)
	Southampton Community Health Services NHS Trust (Lymington and New Forest Community Hospital)
	Portsmouth Healthcare NHS Trust (mental health facilities)
	Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust (eye care facilities).

Trolley Waits (Leicestershire)

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Leicester, East, 24 October 2001, Official Report, columns 306–07W, what statistics are kept on the average waiting time on a trolley before admission to a Leicestershire hospital in the last 12 months.

John Hutton: Latest published figures show that of the 15,690 patients admitted through the accident and emergency department at University Hospitals of Leicester National Health Service Trust between July 2000 and June 2001, an average of 83 per cent. were admitted within two hours and 92 per cent. were admitted within four hours. Overall average waiting time figures are not calculated.

Private Finance Initiative

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the cost of the delay since June to private finance initiative schemes for hospitals.

John Hutton: Shortlisted bidders at three private finance schemes—Stoke Mandeville Hospital National Health Service Trust, South West London Community NHS Trust (Queen Mary's Hospital, Roehampton) and Havering Hospitals NHS Trust—have delayed submitting best and final offers since June until development work on a new retention of employment model (ROE), under which ancillary services staff could retain their NHS employment terms but be managed by the private sector, is completed. It is expected that this work will be completed before the end of the year.
	No other PFI schemes are at a stage where the ROE development is causing a delay.

Consultants' Hours

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what change in the required number of NHS consultants would result if they were to work only contracted hours;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the hours in excess of contracted hours worked by NHS consultants in the last five years.

John Hutton: National health service consultants are employed under a professional contract, in that they do not specify particular hours of work. Whole-time and maximum part-time contract holders have a contractual commitment to devote substantially the whole of their professional time, up to 11 sessions, to their national health service duties. In 1999 a survey by KPMG did, however, demonstrate that both the volume of work and intensity of work, as a whole, had increased since 1990. Intensity pay supplements, amounting to £50 million were therefore introduced from April 2000 to recognise and reward increases in work load, intensity of work and contribution to the NHS.

Consultants' Hours

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the change in work load for NHS consultants as a result of the Calman report and the new deal.

John Hutton: It is not possible to identify the effect of individual initiatives on changes in consultant work load. As well as implementation of the Calman report and the new deal, there have been parallel changes in service management and patient throughput, and changes in the balance of in-patient and day-case clinical work which will have had an effect on consultant work load.
	Since the new deal was launched in 1991 there has been an increase in the consultant work force of 7,200 (45.5 per cent.) and since the Calman reforms were implemented in 1996 there has been an increase of 3,800 (19.9 per cent.). There have also been significant increases in the number of trainees and other hospital doctors in the relevant period.

Annual Budget Settlement

Peter Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the amount of each item of funding over and above the annual budget settlement, made by his Department to (a) Shropshire health authority and (b) other health providers in the country in 2001–02 to date.

John Hutton: The information requested has been placed in the Library.

GP Statistics

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many GPs there were in (a) Berkshire and (b) the Slough primary care trust area in (i) 1992, (ii) 1997 and (iii) 2001.

Hazel Blears: Figures for 2001 are not yet available. Figures for 1992, 1997 and 2000 are shown in the table.
	
		General medical practitioners in Berkshire health authority and Slough primary care group as reported at 1 October 1992 and 1997 and 30 September 2000
		
			 Area 1992 1997 2000 
		
		
			 Berkshire HA
			 All practitioners(44) (excluding GP retainers) 419 437 456 
			 Unrestricted principals and equivalents(45) 396 425 449 
			 
			 Slough PCG(46)
			 All practitioners(44) (excluding GP retainers) — — 63 
			 Unrestricted principals and equivalents(45) — — 58 
		
	
	(44) All practitioners include unrestricted principals and equivalents, restricted principals, assistants, GP registrars, salaried doctors (Para. 52 SFA) and PMS Others. GP retainers were first collected in the 1999 census. As at 1 October 1999 there were 12 in Berkshire HA and 0 in Slough PCG. As at 30 September 2000 there were 15 in Berkshire HA and 0 in Slough PCG.
	(45) Unrestricted principals and equivalents include GMS unrestricted principals, PMS Contracted GPs and PMS Salaried GPs.
	(46) The creation of PCGs was announced in 1998, Slough PCG came in to existence in April 1999. It became a trust on 1 April 2001.
	Source:
	Department of Health General and Personal Medical Services Statistics

NHS Funding Formula

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on how the higher travel costs and average basic pay of health workers in rural areas is reflected in the NHS funding formula.

John Hutton: The Department uses a weighted capitation formula to determine each health authority's fair share of available resources, to enable them to commission similar levels of health services for populations in similar need. The formula weights each health authority's population according to their relative need for healthcare and unavoidable geographical differences in the cost of providing healthcare.
	Within the formula the staff market forces factor estimates the relative differentials that national health service employers need to pay in order to recruit and retain staff. And the emergency ambulance cost adjustment reflects the unavoidable cost variations of providing emergency ambulance services. This adjustment particularly benefits areas with low population density and lower numbers of journeys than average.

NHS Funding Formula

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has for including rurality as a factor in the NHS funding formula.

John Hutton: The national health service funding formula weights each health authority's population according to their relative need for health care and the unavoidable geographical differences in the cost of providing health care.
	Earlier studies have not identified evidence of need for health care associated with rurality that is not already covered within the formula. However some services cost more to provide in rural areas. An emergency ambulance cost adjustment has been included in the formula since 1998–99.
	A review of the formula is currently under way. By 2003 following the review, reducing inequalities will be a key criterion for allocating NHS resources to different parts of the country. The review will include consideration of the health needs of rural areas.

Strategic Outline Cases

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 5 November 2001, Official Report, column 118W, regarding major capital projects, when he expects to invite the next round of strategic outline cases for hospital building projects.

John Hutton: holding answer 13 November 2001
	There are currently no plans to invite a further round of strategic outline business cases for major hospital building projects. However, Ministers will consider cases outside this round where necessary.

Public Service Agreements

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the local authorities which reached the PSA target for the proportion of children in local authority care who had three or more placements in one year by 2001.

Jacqui Smith: The information for the year ending 31 March 2001 is in the table.
	
		
			  Number of children looked after at  
			  31 March with 3 or more placements during the year 31 March 2001 Percentage of children looked after with 3 or more placements during the year 
		
		
			 Calderdale 33 201 16 
			 Bolton 45 275 16 
			 Trafford 27 165 16 
			 Stoke-on-Trent UA 60 367 16 
			 Bath and North East Somerset UA 23 141 16 
			 Buckinghamshire 44 270 16 
			 Southend-on-Sea UA 40 250 16 
			 Tameside 39 246 16 
			 Redbridge 22 139 16 
			 Nottingham UA 96 611 16 
			 Essex 187 1,197 16 
			 East Sussex 73 468 16 
			 West Sussex 119 763 16 
			 Barking and Dagenham 44 283 16 
			 Hackney 77 497 15 
			 Sheffield 104 673 15 
			 Lancashire 197 1,285 15 
			 Leeds 193 1,278 15 
			 Wirral 62 412 15 
			 Harrow 27 181 15 
			 Wiltshire 38 256 15 
			 Liverpool 175 1,179 15 
			 Poole UA 20 136 15 
			 Bradford 101 697 14 
			 Kingston upon Hull UA 83 573 14 
			 Newham 77 537 14 
			 Wolverhampton 56 391 14 
			 Rochdale 34 239 14 
			 Wokingham UA 12 85 14 
			 Sunderland 70 498 14 
			 Sefton 43 306 14 
			 Walsall 57 406 14 
			 Wakefield 62 446 14 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead UA 10 72 14 
			 North Somerset UA 23 166 14 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire UA 28 204 14 
			 Cornwall 81 591 14 
			 Barnet 39 285 14 
			 Salford 82 601 14 
			 Plymouth UA 63 463 14 
			 Norfolk 96 707 14 
			 Gateshead 37 273 14 
			 Staffordshire 72 535 13 
			 Stockport 52 393 13 
			 Doncaster 58 439 13 
			 Barnsley 42 318 13 
			 Waltham Forest 39 296 13 
			 Bournemouth UA 27 205 13 
			 Bury 28 214 13 
			 Solihull 23 176 13 
			 Hounslow 42 322 13 
			 Cheshire 58 458 13 
			 Hampshire 113 893 13 
			 North Lincolnshire UA 22 174 13 
			 Thurrock UA 24 192 13 
			 Oldham 38 305 12 
			 Camden 39 314 12 
			 Slough UA 18 146 12 
			 Merton 22 179 12 
			 Lincolnshire 65 531 12 
			 Manchester 148 1,232 12 
			 Blackburn with Darwen UA 33 275 12 
			 Havering 18 150 12 
			 Lewisham 65 547 12 
			 Derbyshire 76 642 12 
			 Oxfordshire 54 462 12 
			 Bristol UA 64 561 11 
			 Lambeth 88 777 11 
			 Kirklees 33 293 11 
			 Dudley 42 377 11 
			 North Yorkshire 42 378 11 
			 St. Helens 30 272 11 
			 Dorset 28 255 11 
			 Westminster 29 267 11 
			 Warrington UA 17 157 11 
			 York UA 15 141 11 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 42 397 11 
			 Suffolk 68 643 11 
			 Torbay UA 25 238 11 
			 Cambridgeshire 39 375 10 
			 Wigan 44 426 10 
			 Darlington UA 12 117 10 
			 Bexley 21 207 10 
			 North East Lincolnshire UA 28 277 10 
			 Islington 53 531 10 
			 Bromley 29 296 10 
			 Worcestershire 58 596 10 
			 Isle of Wight UA 16 166 10 
			 Surrey 65 681 10 
			 Durham 42 443 9 
			 Ealing 38 409 9 
			 Wandsworth 34 366 9 
			 Rotherham 38 411 9 
			 Hartlepool UA 11 120 9 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 21 234 9 
			 South Tyneside 26 293 9 
			 Hillingdon 37 419 9 
			 Herefordshire UA 17 194 9 
			 Reading UA 12 139 9 
			 Derby UA 35 412 8 
			 Rutland UA (47)— (47)— 8 
			 Southwark 53 657 8 
			 Richmond upon Thames 9 112 8 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 35 441 8 
			 Bedfordshire 27 341 8 
			 Gloucestershire 42 544 8 
			 North Tyneside 25 328 8 
			 West Berkshire UA 9 119 8 
			 Cumbria 39 521 7 
			 Greenwich 37 508 7 
			 Hertfordshire 57 798 7 
			 Croydon 33 478 7 
			 Medway Towns UA 21 324 6 
			 Luton UA 21 328 6 
			 Bracknell Forest UA (47)— (47)— 6 
			 Coventry 26 497 5 
			 Kingston upon Thames (47)— (47)— 5 
			 Peterborough UA 18 353 5 
			 Knowsley 13 256 5 
			 Enfield 13 273 5 
			 Middlebrough UA 11 236 5 
			 Tower Hamlets (47)— (47)— 1 
			 City of London (47)— (47)— 0 
			 Isles of Scilly (47)— (47)— 0 
		
	
	(47) Numerator or denominator value 5 or less

Residential Care Homes (Havering)

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the closure of residential care homes in Havering.

Jacqui Smith: I understand that Havering council is undertaking a review of its own care homes in order to ensure that they are able to meet future needs and standards. As a result of this review, one council home closed recently and another is in the process of doing so. The council plans to establish four new resource centres that are capable of meeting care needs in a holistic manner. There have been no recent independent home closures in Havering.
	People in Havering will benefit from a number of recent Government initiatives designed to improve the commissioning and delivery of care services. The agreement with local government, the national health service and independent sector providers of care—Building Capacity and Partnership—will help to bring stability to the care home sector. In addition, Havering council is being targeted for extra help and will this year receive £550,000 of the £300 million we are allocating to councils over the next two years to tackle the problem of delayed discharge from hospital.

Surgical Procedures (Cost)

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 1 November 2001, Official Report, column 828W, by what date he expects to complete his review of activity and costs in the private health sector; what plans he has to publish the results of the review; and if he will make a statement.

John Hutton: holding answer 14 November 2001
	The survey returns from the national health service are being analysed by statisticians in the Department. I expect to be able to share the results early in the new year.
	My answer of 1 November 2001, Official Report, column 828W set out our plans to improve collaboration between the NHS and the private sector.

Residential Care Homes

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the new care standards for residential care homes in order of date required for implementation.

Jacqui Smith: National minimum standards for care homes for older people were published on 2 March 2001. Copies are available in the Library.
	Most of the standards will apply from 1 April 2002. The exceptions include standards 28.1 and 31.2 (qualifications of staff and managers) which will apply from 2005, and standards 20.1 (communal space per resident in homes existing prior to April 2002), 23.3 and 23.4 (floor space in single rooms), and 23.11 (proportion of single rooms) which will apply from 2007.

Correspondence

Patrick McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will reply to the letters from the hon. Member for West Derbyshire of 10 September concerning care home fees.

Jacqui Smith: A reply was sent to the hon. Member on 13 November.

Social Services Departments

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what basis social services departments will be graded with star ratings in accordance with his speech to the recent local government conference at Harrogate.

Jacqui Smith: The star rating that each social services department receives will be soundly based upon professional judgment encompassing all the available performance evidence—from inspections, in-year monitoring and the performance indicators. The new system will allow people to tell at a glance how their local council is performing and provide national accountability by highlighting how their performance changes over time.
	The detailed process for awarding star ratings is still being decided, in consultation with the Local Government Association and the Association of Directors of Social Services.

Pneumococcal Vaccine

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 8 November 2001, Official Report, column 349W, on pneumococcal vaccine, when the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation last reviewed its advice to the Department; and what evidence his Department has considered in the last year concerning age-based vaccination.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 15 November 2001
	The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) last considered the issue of pneumococcal vaccine at its meeting in November 2001. Studies to assess the possible role for pneumococcal conjugate vaccine in the United Kingdom programme are currently on-going and JCVI will review the evidence once these studies have been completed.

Overseas Nursing Students

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the savings obtained from the abolition of bursaries for overseas nursing students.

John Hutton: holding answer 15 November 2001
	No cost saving is anticipated.
	The change introduced earlier this year to the student support arrangements was not introduced as a cost-saving measure but to bring conditions for access to the national health service bursary for overseas applicants to diploma nursing and midwifery courses into line with those for degree nurses, and students in higher education as a whole.

Care Trusts

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which care trusts he expects to be in operation by the end of 2002.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 15 November 2001
	The following partners are considering the development of care trusts in 2002:
	1. Camden and Islington Mental Health Trust, London borough of Islington, and London borough of Camden.
	2. Somerset health authority (North Somerset Primary Care Group) and north Somerset council.
	3. Essex county council, Braintree district council, north Essex health authority (Witham, Braintree and Halstead PCG).
	4. Sandwell council and Black Country Mental Health Trust.
	5. Manchester social services and Manchester health authority (Manchester Mental Health Partnership).
	6. Northumberland health authority (Northumberland PCGs) and Northumberland social services.
	7. Bradford council and Bradford health authority (Airedale National Health Service Trust and Bradford Community NHS Trust).
	If these applications are made, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State will consider these applications in accordance with section 45 of the Health and Social Care Act 2001.

Suicide

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the main barriers to those contemplating suicide receiving the treatment they need.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 15 November 2001
	An assessment of the main barriers to those contemplating suicide receiving the treatment they need helped inform the development of the National Service Framework for Mental Health. Implementation of the NSF and NHS Plan will ensure that people receive services that are more responsive to their needs. In addition, the suicide prevention strategy, to be launched in spring 2002, will outline further action to ensure the target in "Saving lives: Our Healthier Nation" to reduce the death rate from suicide by at least one fifth by 2010 is met.

Suicide

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to implement a national suicide prevention strategy.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 15 November 2001
	The Department hopes to launch the suicide prevention strategy in spring 2002. We are in the process of considering the timetable for its implementation.

GP Surgeries (Assaults)

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many assaults were committed on (a) doctors and (b) other staff in GP's surgeries in the last 12 months for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

John Hutton: Information on assaults against general practitioners or other primary care staff is not collected nationally. However in 2000–01, 988 patients were de-registered from their GPs' lists because of violent behaviour. We deplore violence towards any healthcare worker and in 1999 launched the "NHS zero tolerance zone" campaign to reduce the risks of its occurrence. This campaign continues.

Midwives

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he can take to encourage national health service trusts to fully adopt last year's recommendations of the Pay Review Body in respect of midwives' pay and conditions.

John Hutton: holding answer 16 November 2001
	We accepted in full the recommendations of the review body for nursing staff, midwives and health visitors and professions allied to medicine for 2001–02.
	The advance letter promulgating the pay increases for 2001–02 and the new midwifery grading agreement was issued to the national health service on 15 February 2001. The advance letter made it clear that national health service employers have a responsibility to implement these agreements from 1 April 2001.

Midwives

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps can be made to encourage midwives who have left the profession to return.

John Hutton: holding answer 16 November 2001
	The Department is working closely with the Royal College of Midwives to encourage and support returning midwives. The national health service now offers all midwives improved pay, supportive family friendly working practices, improved training conditions, better access to continuing professional development and a better career structure.
	All returning midwives will now receive:
	Free refresher training
	A minimum of £1,500 financial support while training
	Assistance with child care support of up to £135 per week for one child and £200 for two or more children
	Assistance with travel and books.

Midwives

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the statutory instruments required for the implementation of the Nursing and Midwifery Council, due to come into place in April 2002, are to be laid before the House.

John Hutton: holding answer 16 November 2001
	The order under section 60 of the Health Act 1999, which will establish the Nursing and Midwifery Council, has today been laid before Parliament. Copies are available in the Vote Office. A similar order which will establish the Health Professions Council has also been laid.

Flooding (Ilford)

Linda Perham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the impact of flooding of the River Roding on public health in Ilford, North; and what steps he has taken in the last 12 months to minimise the impact.

John Hutton: holding answer 16 November 2001
	I am informed that Redbridge and Waltham Forest health authority have confirmed that the work of the local emergency planning team covers the response to flooding incidents. The team comprises representatives from the emergency services, health and local authorities and the voluntary sector.
	From a public health perspective, leaflets were issued to residents in flooding risk areas and actual flooded areas, advising of the risks from flood water.

Regional Health Boundaries

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on his proposals to redraw regional health area boundaries so that they are coterminous with regional Government boundaries.

John Hutton: As part of the programme to shift the balance of power from Whitehall to frontline staff, the Department is proposing to abolish its national health service regional offices by 1 April 2003. We are introducing four directorates of health and social care by April 2003 responsible for strategic oversight of health and social care activity in London, the south of England, the west midlands and eastern England and the north of England respectively. They will cover areas with outer boundaries coterminous with the Government offices for the regions. These arrangements are in line with the Government's policy on coterminosity set out in the Modernising Government White Paper.

TREASURY

Equitable Life

Christopher Chope: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost to public funds was of the review by the Financial Services Authority of its role in the regulation of Equitable Life.

Ruth Kelly: The cost of the review by the FSA of its role in the regulation of Equitable Life will be met by the insurance industry. Some of the costs have already been recovered by way of fees imposed by the existing regulators (the Personal Investment Authority and the Treasury). Once the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 comes fully into force, the remaining costs will be recovered by the FSA by way of fees.

Equitable Life

John Bercow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many representations he has received about Equitable Life from policy holders resident in the Buckingham constituency.

Ruth Kelly: We have received many representations from policy holders of Equitable Life. Identifying policy holders resident in Buckingham constituency could not be undertaken except at disproportionate cost.

National Insurance Contributions

John Bercow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much money would be raised for the Exchequer at current prices over one financial year as a result of the removal of the upper earnings limit on national insurance; and what discussions he has had on the impact of this change.

Dawn Primarolo: The full-year yield from removing the upper earnings limit on national insurance contributions is estimated to be £3¼ billion in 2002–03.

Appointments

Tim Collins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many appointments he has made to public bodies since 7 June; and how many are in his gift.

Ruth Kelly: Information about the numbers of ministerial appointments to public bodies is included in the Cabinet Office's annual report, "Public Bodies". Copies of this are placed in the Library of the House and the report is published on the Cabinet Office's internet website. The next edition of "Public Bodies", which will include numbers of appointments at 31 March 2001, will be published around the end of the year.
	Ministers of the Chancellor's Departments and agencies make (or in the case of Crown appointments recommend the making of) a total of 80 appointments to six of the public bodies listed in "Public Bodies". No new appointments or reappointments have been made to these bodies since 7 June.

Green Fuel Challenge

David Heath: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects to announce the result of the green fuel challenge.

Paul Boateng: We expect to make a further announcement shortly.

Fuel Duty

David Heath: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what account he takes of greenhouse gas emissions when determining excise duties for (a) biodiesel, (b) bioethanol, (c) compressed natural gas and (d) liquid petroleum gas.

Paul Boateng: The Chancellor takes account of a wide range of social, economic and environmental factors when determining duty rates.

Single-parent Families

Tom Cox: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many single parent families have more than (a) one child, (b) two children, (c) three children and (d) four children.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from John Kidgell to Mr. Tom Cox, dated 19 November 2001
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question on the number of single parent families who have more than one, two, three or four children (15337). I am replying in his absence.
	Provisional estimates for Great Britain, from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) for 2000 indicate that there were 1.6 million lone parent families in Great Britain in 2000. Of this total, 0.8 million families had 1 dependent child; 0.5 million families had 2 dependent children; 0.2 million families had 3 dependent children and 0.06 million families had 4 or more dependent children.

Drug Deaths

Andrew George: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many deaths have been attributed to benzodiazepines in each year for the last 10 years for which records are available;
	(2)  how many deaths have been attributed to (a) heroin, (b) methadone, (c) cocaine, (d) morphine and (e) opiates in each year for the last 10 years for which records are available.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from John Kidgell to Andrew George, dated 19 November 2001
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent questions asking how many deaths have been attributed to various types of drugs in each year for the last ten years for which records are available (15585/9). I am replying in his absence.
	Figures published by the Office for National Statistics are available for 1993 to 1999 inclusive and indicate the number of times substances are mentioned on death certificates. The data are shown below.
	
		Number of deaths in England and Wales where heroin/morphine, methadone, cocaine, benzodiazepines or opiates were mentioned on the death certificate with or without other substances, persons, all ages, Calendar years 1993–1999
		
			 Year Heroin/ Morphine(48) Methadone Cocaine Benzodiazepines Opiates(49) 
		
		
			 1993 187 232 12 280 669 
			 1994 277 269 24 279 820 
			 1995 357 310 19 253 957 
			 1996 466 368 19 230 1,157 
			 1997 445 421 39 248 1,200 
			 1998 646 364 66 245 1,334 
			 1999 754 298 88 240 1,467 
		
	
	(48) As heroin breaks down in the body into morphine, the latter may be detected at post mortem and recorded on the death certificate.
	(49) Opiates include heroin/morphine and methadone.
	Source:
	ONS database of drug-related poisonings

Balance of Payments

John Bercow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the significance of the balance of payments deficit in goods in the second quarter of this year.

Ruth Kelly: The Government will publish their latest forecasts for the UK economy, together with an assessment of recent economic developments, in the pre-Budget report on 27 November.

Mortgages

David Kidney: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received in response to his proposals for (a) the new regulatory regime for mortgages and (b) the date for N3.

Ruth Kelly: I have received a number of representations from the Council of Mortgage Lenders, individual mortgage lenders and others on the scope of mortgage regulation, the arrangements set out in the Financial Services Authority draft rules, as well as on the timing of N3.

Mortgages

David Kidney: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what will be the role of (a) the mortgage code and (b) the Mortgage Code Compliance Board under the proposed new regulatory regime for mortgages.

Ruth Kelly: Much has been achieved since the Mortgage Code came into being in 1997. The Mortgage Code Compliance Board has worked to set the standards for service delivery, training and competence, and to increase professionalism within the mortgage industry. All of this will stand the industry in good stead when statutory regulation of mortgages comes into force.

Mortgages

John Greenway: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment his Department has made of the consumer benefits accruing from the proposed implementation of Rule 4.7.1(1) in the draft mortgage sourcebook and the likely implementation of Rule 4.7.1(1) by mortgage lenders; and if he will make a statement.

Ruth Kelly: A cost benefit analysis of the proposals contained in the (draft) mortgage sourcebook was published as an annexe (annexe D) to the Consultation Paper (CP 98) published by the Financial Services Authority.

Euro

Howard Flight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the likely impact of the euro on stability in the UK housing market.

Ruth Kelly: The Government have said that they will produce an assessment of the five economic tests within two years of the start of this Parliament. The assessment will be comprehensive and rigorous; all relevant economic issues will be dealt with as part of the assessment.

Consumer Debt

Howard Flight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he last discussed the level of consumer debt with the Governor of the Bank of England.

Ruth Kelly: The Chancellor and the Governor are in regular contact about a full range of economic issues.

Consumer Debt

Howard Flight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of all non-mortgage consumer debt is held by each income quintile in the last year for which figures are available.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Howard Flight, dated 19 November 2001
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your question concerning the percentage of all non-mortgage consumer debt that is held by each income quintile. (15937)
	The information requested is not available.

Stamp Duty

Howard Flight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage and what amount in real terms of stamp duty paid by private investors on shares was paid by each income quintile for the last year for which figures are available.

Ruth Kelly: The information is not available.

Inheritance Tax

Howard Flight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what percentage and what amount in real terms of inheritance tax was paid by each income quintile in the last year for which figures are available;
	(2)  what plans he has to reform tax avoidance in relation to inheritance tax liabilities for persons in the upper earnings quintiles.

Dawn Primarolo: No statistics are available linking inheritance tax liabilities with the relative income level either of transferors in their lifetime, or of transferees. The Government take tax avoidance seriously whoever practises it; experience does not suggest that inheritance tax avoidance is necessarily confined to the upper income quintiles, and if we find that action is needed it will apply across the board.

Diesel Fuels

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how tax relief attaching to diesel fuels applies in the case of fuels comprising both diesel and biodiesel.

Paul Boateng: holding answer 16 November 2001
	There is no tax relief on diesel used as a road fuel. A blend of diesel and biodiesel used in one of the non road fuel purposes specified in schedule 1 to the Hydrocarbon Oil Duties Act 1979 would be charged at the rebated rate of 3.13p per litre.
	Under the Green Fuel Challenge, the Government will, subject to EU agreement, introduce a new duty rate for biodiesel in Budget 2002, at 20p per litre below the rate then in force for ultra-low sulphur diesel. Provisions covering duty on blends of biodiesel and diesel will be reviewed in the light of this new duty rate.

Fair Trade Goods

Michael Weir: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his Department's policy is in relation to departmental spending for supplies concerning the purchase of fair trade goods.

Andrew Smith: holding answer 16 November 2001
	As my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under- Secretary of State for International Development has stated in his answer of 16 November 2001, Official Report, column 931W, it is Government policy to promote fair trade products, subject of course to the need to obtain value for money in public procurement for the taxpayer.

Public-private Partnerships

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for what reason the Government do not count incurring of liabilities through public-private partnerships as the incurring of financial liabilities in the consideration of the achievement of the Government's fiscal rules; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Smith: Most public-private partnerships involve operating leases rather than finance leases. In accordance with Statement of Standard Accounting Practice 21, the Government do not capitalise operating leases but do capitalise, and thus count as a financial liability, all finance leases.

Tax Credits

David Lidington: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has held with the Secretary of State for Education and Skills regarding the impact of fraud on tax credits for (a) education and (b) training.

Dawn Primarolo: The Chancellor of the Exchequer meets regularly with his Cabinet colleagues to discuss a wide range of issues.

Tax Credits

David Lidington: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the likely cost in financial year 2002–03 of (a) an incremental research and development tax credit for all companies paid only on additional spending and (b) a research and development tax credit for all companies covering all relevant spending;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the incremental approach to the operation of research and development tax credits.

Dawn Primarolo: The Government set out their views of an incremental R and D tax credit for large companies in the Budget consultation document "Increasing Innovation" published on 7 March. Since then we have received a number of responses from companies, representative bodies and others, which we are considering. The cost of such a measure depends upon the rate at which the credit is given and the final design of the scheme. Until decisions are reached on the design of the credit and the rate of relief, it is not possible to estimate the cost of the credit.

Climate Change Levy

David Lidington: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the average excess charge for all companies paying the climate change levy with an excess charge over and above NI rebates in the last year for which figures are available, broken down by industrial sector.

Paul Boateng: The climate change levy was only introduced in April 2001. Therefore no annual figures are available.

Climate Change Levy

David Lidington: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the proportion of companies paying the climate change levy which will pay an excess charge over and above NI rebates.

Paul Boateng: The climate change levy is broadly revenue neutral with all revenue being recycled back to business through a reduction in national insurance contributions cuts and support for energy efficiency measures. The impact on any specific company or sector will depend on a number of factors, including: their future energy consumption and the use made of levy funded energy efficiency support; employment levels and the benefits received from the levy funded reductions in national insurance contributions; eligibility to receive a discount by signing up to an energy efficiency agreement; the use made of electricity generated from 'new' renewable sources of energy and combined heat and power, both of which are levy exempt.

Climate Change Levy

David Lidington: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer from how many (a) companies and (b) business organisations he has received pre-budget representations regarding the impact of the climate change levy.

Paul Boateng: The Government have received representations from a variety of businesses, trade bodies, environmental organisations and other interested parties. They are being considered as part of the pre-Budget report process.

Climate Change Levy

David Lidington: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost of administering the (a) aggregates tax and (b) climate change levy in their first full year of operation.

Paul Boateng: Estimates of the costs of administering the aggregates levy and the climate change levy are contained in the respective regulatory impact assessments, which have been placed in the Library.

Climate Change Levy

David Lidington: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representatives he will send to the manufacturing summit to explain the operation of the climate change levy.

Paul Boateng: The operation of the climate change levy is fully set in Customs and Excise notice CCL1.

Cannabis

Paul Flynn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate how much revenue would accrue annually if cannabis were taxed in the same way as tobacco, assuming consumption by 2 million users.

Paul Boateng: No such estimates are currently available.

Cigarette Imports

Nick Gibb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 12 November 2001, Official Report, column 531W, if he will specify how many cigarettes Customs and Excise guidelines state would prima facie be regarded as not for own use.

Paul Boateng: Travellers from the EU can bring in as many cigarettes as they like for own use. Customs do not enforce any absolute limits. Each individual's purchases are assessed in the light of the individual circumstances. If the amount is over the Minimum Indicative Level of 800, set out EC Directive 92/12 and in the Excise Duties (Personal Reliefs) Order 1992 the traveller may be required to satisfy Customs that they are not being held or used for a commercial purpose.

Aggregates

David Lidington: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the total weight of aggregates used by public or public/private projects in the last financial year for which information is available in (a) road building and (b) rail infrastructure.

Paul Boateng: Responsibility for this rests with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions.

Tax Credits Consultation Paper

David Willetts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which organisations have responded to the tax credits consultation paper issued by the Inland Revenue.

Dawn Primarolo: Over 170 written responses to this consultation document have been received from a wide range of organisations and individuals.

Ethnic Groups (Wycombe)

Paul Goodman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people of each ethnic group (a) live in the Wycombe constituency and (b) have been living there during the past four years.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from John Kidgell to Mr. Paul Goodman, dated 19 November 2001
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question to the Chancellor of the Exchequer asking how many people of each ethnic group (a) live in Wycombe constituency and (b) have been living there during the past four years. I am replying in his absence. (14875)
	The only information that can be provided for (a) is from the 1991 Census. No information is available for (b).
	The information shown in the table overleaf is therefore based on the 1991 Census, but revised to reflect the Wycombe Parliamentary Constituency as constituted with effect from 1 May 1997.
	
		1991 Census. Number of residents by ethnic group for the Wycombe parliamentary constituency as constituted with effect from 1 May 1997
		
			 Ethnic group Number 
		
		
			 White 85,018 
			 Black Caribbean 2,965 
			 Black African 195 
			 Black other 594 
			 Indian 836 
			 Pakistani 5,761 
			 Bangladeshi 78 
			 Chinese 218 
			   
			 Other groups  
			 Asian 323 
			 Other 1,250 
			  
			 Total residents 97,238

Unemployment (Wycombe)

Paul Goodman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the level of unemployment in the Wycombe constituency was in (a) September 2000 and (b) September 2001.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Paul Goodman, dated 19 November 2001
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question about the level of unemployment in the Wycombe constituency in September 2000 and September 2001 (14877).
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles statistics for unemployment from surveys following the standard International Labour Organisation definition. However, for the Wycombe parliamentary constituency the survey sample size is too small to provide estimates.
	ONS also compiles statistics of claimants of unemployment- related benefits. The claimant count consists of all people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance or National Insurance credits at Employment Service local offices. They must declare that they are out of work, capable of, available for and actively seeking work during the week in which the claim is made.
	Between September 2000 and September 2001 the claimant count level in the Wycombe parliamentary constituency rose by 108 from 1,403 to 1,151.

Earnings (Wycombe)

Paul Goodman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average (a) weekly wage, (b) weekly earnings, (c) income per head and (d) household income of (i) men and (ii) women was in each ethnic group in the Wycombe constituency in each of the last five years.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Paul Goodman, dated 19 November 2001
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question on earnings of men and women in the Wycombe constituency by ethnic group (14866).
	The most recent available information is from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) for Winter 2000–01. This is only available for the Local Authority District of Wycombe and not for parliamentary constituencies, and is shown in the table overleaf. Information in the detail you require is not available except for average weekly earnings for the total of men and women, and for the 'White' ethnic group. The sample sizes are too small to provide estimates for other groups.
	The Family Resources Survey (FRS) provides estimates of income by household. However no data is available at a parliamentary constituency or Local Authority District level for ethnic origin from this source.
	
		Average gross weekly earnings of full-time(50) employees by ethnicity; Wycombe Local Authority District; Winter (December to February) 2000–01; not seasonally adjusted -- £
		
			 Employees by ethnicity Winter 2000–01 
		
		
			 All persons 514 
			 White 535 
			 Non-white (51)— 
		
	
	(50) The definition of full-time is based on respondents' self assessment
	(51) Sample size too small for reliable estimate

Railtrack

Douglas Hogg: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when, after 1 August, the Treasury sent advice to the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions that it was unlikely that additional public funding for Railtrack would be approved.

Andrew Smith: holding answer 9 November 2001
	I refer the right hon. and learned Member to the statement made to the House by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions on 13 November 2001, Official Report, columns 723–24.

Railtrack

John Bercow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  if (a) Ministers and (b) officials from Her Majesty's Treasury attended meetings on 27 July between representatives from Railtrack and the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions;
	(2)  when he first discussed with (a) Ministers and (b) officials the request by Railtrack for the payment of £162 million on 1 October;
	(3)  if he will place in the Library of list of meetings regarding the rail industry held between (a) Ministers and (b) officials from Her Majesty's Treasury between 1 July and 7 October with (i) representatives of Railtrack, (ii) representatives of the Strategic Rail Authority and (iii) representatives of the Rail Regulator;
	(4)  pursuant to his answer of 7 November 2001, Official Report, column 252W, when he was first informed that the Railway Administration Order 2001, relating to the potential administration of Railtrack, was being drafted;
	(5)  if consultations took place between (a) officials and (b) Ministers from Her Majesty's Treasury and (i) officials and (ii) Ministers from the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions prior to 7 October, regarding (A) the drafting of the Railway Administration Order 2001 relating to the potential administration of Railtrack and (B) the request by Railtrack for the payment of £162 million on 1 October;
	(6)  when he first discussed the possibility of Railtrack being placed into administration with (a) the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions and (b) the Prime Minister;
	(7)  pursuant to his answer of 7 November 2001, Official Report, column 252W, when and by whom he was first informed that the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions was considering placing Railtrack into administration;
	(8)  if (a) Ministers and (b) officials from Her Majesty's Treasury attended meetings on 25 July between the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions and (i) the Chairman and (ii) other representatives of Railtrack;
	(9)  if he was informed prior to the announcement of the administration of Railtrack that the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions was considering the use of emergency legislation in respect of the powers of the Rail Regulator; and what discussions took place between his Department and the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions on this matter prior to the announcement of the administration of Railtrack;
	(10)  when he was first advised, and by whom, that there was a prospect of Railtrack no longer being a going concern;
	(11)  if (a) Ministers and (b) officials from Her Majesty's Treasury attended meetings on 5 October between the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions and the Rail Regulator.

Andrew Smith: Treasury Ministers and officials have discussions with a wide range of organisations, including other Government departments, on a wide range of subjects on a regular basis.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Nursing and Residential Homes

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will set out the most recent figures he has for the proportion of preserved rights residents in (a) nursing homes, (b) residential homes and (c) nursing and residential homes whose (i) fees are equal to or below income support, (ii) top-up is less than their personal expenses allowance, (iii) top-up is between personal expenses allowance and £20, (iv) top-up is between £20.01 and £30 and increments of £10 thereafter up to £70.01 and over.

Malcolm Wicks: The information is in the table.
	
		
			All preserved rights cases  Residential care  Nursing homes  
			   Number (Thousand) Percentage Number (Thousand) Percentage Number (Thousand) Percentage 
		
		
			 All cases 65.1 100.0 47.6 100 17.4 100 
			
			 Fees equal to or below IS 35.2 54.1 24.8 52.1 10.4 59.4 
			
			 Fees above IS 29.9 45.9 22.8 47.9 7.1 40.6 
			 of which above IS by:   
			 £0.01 to £16.04(52) 8.3 12.7 5.1 10.8 3.1 18.0 
			 £16.05 to £20.00 1.8 2.8 1.4 3.0 (53)0.4 (53)2.3 
			 £20.01 to £30.00 2.6 4.1 1.9 3.9 0.8 4.5 
			 £30.01 to £40.00 2.1 3.2 1.6 3.4 (53)0.5 (53)2.6 
			 £40.01 to £50.00 1.2 1.9 0.8 1.7 (53)0.4 (53)2.5 
			 £50.01 to £60.00 1.1 1.7 0.9 1.9 (53)0.2 (53)0.9 
			 £60.01 to £70.00 1.0 1.5 0.8 1.6 (53)0.2 (53)1.3 
			 £70.01 and over 11.8 18.1 10.3 21.6 1.5 8.5 
		
	
	(52) Below the personal expenses allowance of £16.05.
	(53) Subject to a high degree of sampling error and should be used as a rough guide to the current situation only.
	Notes:
	1. Figures are based on a 5 per cent. sample and are therefore subject to a degree of sampling error.
	2. Numbers have been rounded to the nearest hundred and are expressed in thousands.
	Source:
	Income Support Quarterly Statistical Enquiry, May 2001

Disability Benefits

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what studies he is conducting into new systems for assessing entitlement to disability living allowance and attendance allowance.

Maria Eagle: holding answer 13 November 2001
	We are currently conducting a small-scale test to ascertain whether it might be viable to continue development of a possible new system, known as "Activities for Managing Life" (AMLs), for gathering information about the care and mobility needs of severely disabled people who claim DLA and AA, and for assessing their entitlement to those benefits.

Fair Trade Goods

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his Department's policy is in relation to departmental spending for supplies concerning the purchase of fair trade goods.

Nick Brown: I refer the hon. Member to the answer my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for International Development gave to him on 16 November 2001, Official Report, column 931W.

Benefit Eligibility

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the procedural steps for assessing eligibility, reviewing, appealing and making payment of (a) severe disablement allowance, (b) maternity allowance, (c) industrial injuries disablement allowance, (d) reduced earnings allowance/retirement allowance, (e) attendance allowance and (f) disability working allowance, indicating which of the offices of his Department and his agencies in Scotland handle each of these steps.

Maria Eagle: holding answer 2 November 2001
	This is a matter for Alexis Cleveland, Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency. She will write to the hon. Member.
	Letter from Alexis Cleveland to Annabelle Ewing, dated 16 November 2001
	The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has asked me to respond to your recent Parliamentary Question asking if he will list the procedural steps for assessing eligibility, reviewing, appealing and making payment of (a) severe disablement allowance (b) maternity allowance (c) industrial injuries disablement allowance (d) reduced earnings allowance/retirement allowance (e) attendance allowance and (f) disability working allowance, indicating which of the offices of his Department and his agencies in Scotland handle each of these steps.
	Information is not available about Disability Working Allowance as this was replaced by the Disabled Person's Tax Credit in October 1999, and is now administered by the Inland Revenue. Details of eligibility and payments for the other benefits listed have been placed in the House of Commons Library.
	The revision and appeals process is the same for all benefits. When an appeal is received in the Benefits Agency (BA), the Decision Maker considers whether there are any new grounds raised that would enable the decision to be revised. If not, a written submission is prepared and it and copies of the evidence are sent to The Appeals Service. At the same time a copy of the submission and the evidence is sent to the appellant and any known representative. The appellant is also sent a pre-hearing enquiry form to complete and return to the Appeals Service to indicate whether he/she wants his/her appeal to be dealt with by an oral or paper hearing.
	On receipt of the appeal submission and documents, the appeal is registered by the Appeals Service. When the pre-hearing enquiry form is received from the appellant, the appropriate type of hearing is arranged. Where an oral hearing has been requested, the panel member(s) who will form the appeal tribunal are allocated according to type of appeal and all interested parties (appellant, representative and BA) are notified of the date, time and place of the hearing.
	The panel members who form the appeal tribunal are independent of the Department for Work and Pensions and are appointed by the Lord Chancellor. When they have made their decision, all interested parties are notified. If the appeal tribunal finds in the appellant's favour, the BA is then responsible for implementing the tribunal's decision.
	I hope this is helpful.

Jobcentre Plus

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Jobcentre Plus pathfinder offices have been subjected to, or threatened with, industrial action; for what reasons industrial action has been taken; and what measures he is taking to resolve this industrial action.

Nick Brown: 49 pathfinders opened as planned on Monday 22 October and staff are enthusiastically providing a full service. In the areas balloted by PCS two-thirds of staff are working. The dispute is over the delivery of welfare benefits to people of working age in a predominantly unscreened environment.
	Jobcentre Plus will introduce a radical improvement to customer service based on Personal Advisers working closely with individuals to help them into jobs and to secure the right financial support. This cannot be achieved from behind screens.
	The Department remains in discussion with the Public and Commercial Services Union to seek to resolve this dispute in a way which is compatible with the Government's objectives for delivering a modern, personalised and work-focused service in Jobcentre Plus. We are putting in place contingency arrangements to ensure that claimants can continue to receive their benefit.

Pension Awareness Campaign

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what reason the pension awareness advertising campaign was (a) stopped and (b) restarted.

Ian McCartney: Advertising is just one element of the pensions education campaign. This is an on-going campaign which runs constantly throughout the year through a wide variety of channels. Advertising appears at various intervals during the campaign and is planned to run during periods when it will be most effective.

Stakeholder Pensions

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, 
	(1)  pursuant to his answer of 28 June 2001, Official Report, column 158W, when figures showing the number of people who have bought a stakeholder pension each month will be available; and what proportion of these pensions have been bought on behalf of someone else;
	(2)  how many people have taken out stakeholder pensions in each month since April.

Ian McCartney: The information is not available in the format requested. The information available is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Period Number of stakeholder pension policies sold 
		
		
			 April—June 2001 224,506 
			 July 2001 August 2001 69,087 63,585 
		
	
	Note:
	Figures shown are provided by the Association of British Insurers and are based on returns from registered stakeholder pension providers. Monthly figures for the April—June quarter are not available. Figures from July onwards are provided by the ABI through news releases on a monthly basis. (They are released approximately five weeks in arrears owing to the need for prior collection and analysis of data).

Stakeholder Pensions

Jeff Ennis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions by what means he plans to (a) monitor and (b) police employers, with 50 or fewer workers, who do not register to promote a stakeholder pension for their workforce.

Ian McCartney: I refer my hon. Friend to the Written Answer I gave the right hon. Member for Hitchin and Harpenden (Mr. Lilley) on 23 October 2001, Official Report, column 180W.

Industrial Injury Disablement Benefit

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many applicants have successfully claimed industrial injury disablement benefit for prescribed disease for primary neoplasms of the epithetical lining of the urinary tract in each year since 1996; and how many of those (a) successful and (b) unsuccessful applicants were employed in the printing and related industries.

Malcolm Wicks: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the table:
	
		Primary neoplasm (including papilloma, carcinoma-in-situ and invasive carcinoma) of the epithelial lining of the urinary tract (renal pelvis, ureter, bladder and urethra)
		
			  Year Successful new applications for Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit 
		
		
			 1996–97 22 
			 1997–98 34 
			 1998–99 29 
			 1999–2000 26 
			 2000–01 30 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures are based on a 100 per cent. count and relate to assessments of disability over 14 per cent.
	2. No information is collected on the number of unsuccessful claims.
	3. As there have been fewer than five successful applications in each year by those employed in the printing and related industries, actual figures cannot be disclosed to protect the confidentiality of individuals.

Housing Benefit

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his plans are to reform housing benefit.

Malcolm Wicks: Our first priority has been to work with local authorities to drive up administrative standards, tackle fraud and error and improve work incentives.
	The Department's response to consultation on the Housing Green Paper, "Quality and Choice: A decent home for all—The way forward for housing" (December 2000), set out a wide-ranging package of measures to help improve service delivery and streamline the system making Housing Benefit easier for councils to administer and those in need to claim.
	For the longer term we intend to ensure that, for people of working age, Housing Benefit strengthens work incentives further. We will work with wider housing reforms to make Housing Benefit part of a system that encourages choice, responsibility and fairness.

IT Projects

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to his answer of 20 July 2001, Official Report, columns 689–90W, on IT projects, 
	(1)  if he will list individual Department of Work and Pensions information technology projects grouped under (a) working age, (b) pensions, (c) children and (d) corporate; and for each of those projects, what is (i) the expected completion date and (ii) the estimated cost;
	(2)  if he will give (a) reasons for and (b) a breakdown of, the increase from the planned costs to the current estimated costs for Department for Work and Pensions information technology projects on its (i) pensions, (ii) corporate and (iii) children's programmes.

Ian McCartney: I refer to my answer of 20 July 2001, Official Report, columns 689–90W. The information technology elements of the Department's modernisation programme are not shown separately from the overall programme costs because contracts have not yet been let for many of the IT projects.
	Early estimates have been revised as a result of the 2000 Spending Review settlement which provided additional funding for modernising the Department which enabled it to undertake necessary and more extensive improvements. Additional improvements have therefore come on stream since initial calculations were made and estimates have been revised for Child Support reforms as implementation has progressed.

Computer Crime

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many cases of computer (a) hacking, (b) fraud and (c) theft his Department has recorded in 2000 and 2001; and on how many occasions in 2000 and 2001 computer systems in his Department have been illegally accessed by computer hackers (i) within and (ii) outside his Department.

Ian McCartney: The information is as follows:
	
		
			 Calendar Year Hacking Fraud Theft 
		
		
			 2001 0 1 42 
			 2000 0 5 73

Benefits (Northampton)

Tony Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in the Northampton, South constituency have been in receipt of (a) income support, (b) disability living allowance, (c) incapacity benefit, (d) unemployment benefit and (e) housing benefit in each of the last 10 years.

Malcolm Wicks: Information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the tables.
	
		Benefit recipients in the Northampton South constituency
		
			 Year (a) Income support (b) Disability living allowance  (c) Incapacity benefit (d) Jobseeker's allowance 
		
		
			 1997 5,300 2,700 2,100 2,200 
			 1998 5,400 2,700 1,900 1,600 
			 1999 5,400 2,900 1,900 1,600 
			 2000 5,700 3,200 1,800 1,200 
			 2001 5,900 3,400 1,800 1,300 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Data prior to 1997 are not available at constituency level.
	2. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred.
	3. With the exception of disability living allowance, figures are based on a 5 per cent. sample and are subject to a degree of sampling error.
	4. Figures for income support include pensioners, including those in receipt of the minimum income guarantee since its introduction in April 1999.
	5. Figures for incapacity benefit exclude a small number of clerically held cases.
	6. Figures for incapacity benefit and jobseeker's allowance are for benefit recipients and exclude those receiving national insurance credits only.
	7. Unemployment benefit was replaced by jobseeker's allowance from October 1996.
	Source:
	(a) Income support Quarterly Statistical Inquires May 1997 to May 2001.
	(b) Disability living allowance annual 100 per cent. count in May of each year.
	(c) Incapacity benefit Quarterly Statistical Inquires May 1997 to May 2001.
	(d) Jobseeker's allowance Quarterly Statistical Inquires May 1997 to May 2001.
	
		Housing benefit recipients in Northampton borough council area
		
			 Year Housing benefit recipients 
		
		
			 1992 13,500 
			 1993 13,700 
			 1994 13,900 
			 1995 14,000 
			 1996 14,100 
			 1997 13,400 
			 1998 12,800 
			 1999 12,500 
			 2000 11,100 
			 2001 10,400 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The data refer to households, which may be a family, a single person or a couple.
	2. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred.
	3. Housing benefit information is not collected by parliamentary constituency.
	Source:
	Housing Benefit Management Information System Quarterly 100 per cent. count in May of each year.

Departmental Publications

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many publications were issued by his Department between 8 June and 26 October.

Nick Brown: The number of publications, defined as new or amended titles which includes booklets, leaflets, flyers and forms issued to the public or made available on request to the public is 356. This figure includes items published under the Department's agencies and Jobcentre Plus brands.

Jobseeker's Allowance

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what his Department's estimates are of the number of people who will (a) find work and (b) be moved from incapacity benefit to jobseeker's allowance as a result of the Jobcentre Plus interviews regulations;
	(2)  what estimate his Department has made of the additional expenditure which will arise in the next three years as a result of people moving from incapacity benefit to jobseeker's allowance following a work- focused interview.

Nick Brown: Jobcentre Plus interviews are to discuss people's work aspirations either now or in the future and to ensure that all people of working age are aware of the help and support available if they choose to move into work.
	Jobcentre Plus pathfinder offices will initially be working to existing Employment Service and Benefits Agency targets. Jobcentre Plus will have its own Annual Performance Agreement (APA) targets from April 2002, which will be agreed with the Secretary of State. In addition to these high level targets, lower level operational targets will be set by the Jobcentre Plus Chief Executive. The number of people helped into work overall will be a key outcome.

Public-private Partnerships

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the projects in his Department which have been considered as potential public-private partnerships since 1997 which have not been undertaken because the public sector comparator had a lower net present value than the public private partnership proposed; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Brown: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, on 13 November 2001, Official Report, column 607W, which sets out the position of public sector comparators in the investment appraisal process.
	The Department has had no public-private partnership projects since 1997 that were not taken forward because the public sector comparator had a lower net present value.

Pension Rates

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what would have been the value of the basic pension for a single person and a married couple in each year from 1998–99 to 2002–03 if it had been increased each year in line with the average earnings index for (a) the previous September and (b) May to July; and what would have been the additional costs in each year compared with the actual pension rates.

Ian McCartney: In 2001–02 alone, the Government will spend around £4½ billion more in real terms on help for pensioners than was spent in 1996–97. That is almost £3 billion more than would have been spent through earnings uprating of the basic state pension. Of this extra spending, £2 billion is going to the poorest third of pensioners—five times more than an earnings link would have given them.
	The information requested is shown in the tables.
	
		
			   6(a) September  (b) May-July  
			  Single Couple Single Couple 
		
		
			 1998–99 £65.00 £103.90 £64.95 £103.80 
			 1999–2000 £68.40 £109.30 £68.65 £109.70 
			 2000–01 £71.60 £114.40 £71.90 £114.90 
			 2001–02 £74.60 £119.20 £74.80 £119.50 
			 2002–03 £78.05 £124.70 £78.25 £125.00 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures are in cash terms, £ per week.
	2. Part a uses the September whole economy, seasonally adjusted annual percentage change in the average earnings index.
	3. Part b uses the May to July whole economy, seasonally adjusted headline rate from the average earnings index.
	The extra cost of uprating the basic state pension by the average earnings index in (a) the previous September and (b) May-July would have been:
	
		£ billion 
		
			  (a) September (b) May-July 
		
		
			 1998–99 0.2 0.1 
			 1999–2000 0.8 0.9 
			 2000–01 2.1 2.2 
			 2001–02 1.1 1.2 
			 2002–03 1.2 1.3 
		
	
	Note:
	Figures are in constant 2001–02 price terms, rounded to the nearest £100 million.

Disability Living Allowance

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many disabled children qualify for Disability Living Allowance; what the percentage take-up of benefit is; and if he will make a statement on action being taken to improve the take-up figures.

Maria Eagle: holding answer 13 November 2001
	The latest available information is that 227,000 children aged under 16 were receiving Disability Living Allowance at 31 May 2001. Estimates of the take-up of this benefit are not routinely made. We keep take-up of benefit under review.

Touch Screen Kiosks

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the cost of touch screen kiosks for job search in jobcentres.

Nick Brown: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Hertsmere (Mr. Clappison) on 12 November 2001, Official Report, column 583W.

Benefits (Buckingham)

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people living in the Buckingham constituency were in receipt of income-related benefits in each of the last four years.

Malcolm Wicks: The available information is in the tables.
	
		Income-related benefit recipients in the Buckingham constituency
		
			   Income support Jobseeker's allowance (income based) Family credit/working families tax credit Disability working allowance/disabled person's tax credit(54) Total 
		
		
			 May 1998 2,000 *300 *300 11 2,600 
			 May 1999 2,000 *300 *300 14 2,600 
			 May 2000 2,000 *200 500 14 2,700 
			 May 2001 2,000 *100 800 18 3,000 
		
	
	(54) Disabled Working Allowance/Disabled Person's Tax Credit figures are for April each year.
	Notes:
	1. Figures (other than Disability Working Allowance/Disabled Person's Tax Credit which is a 100 per cent. count of all cases) are based on a 5 per cent. sample and are therefore subject to a degree of sampling error.
	2. Figures marked '*' are subject to a high degree of sampling error and should be treated as a rough guide to the situation only.
	3. Income Support/Jobseeker's Allowance (Income Based) and 'Total' figures have been rounded to the nearest 100.
	4. Income Support/Jobseeker's Allowance claimants in receipt of Family Credit/Working Families Tax Credit or Disability Working Allowance/Disabled Person's Tax Credit are not shown in Income Support/Jobseeker's Allowance totals.
	5. Family Credit and Disability Working Allowance were replaced by Working Families' Tax Credit and Disabled Person's Tax Credit in October 1999.
	Sources:
	Income Support Quarterly Statistical Enquiries May 1998–May 2001.
	Jobseeker's Allowance Quarterly Statistical Enquiries May 1998–May 2001.
	Family Credit/Working Families' Tax Credit Quarterly Statistical Enquiries May 1998–May 2001.
	Disability Working Allowance/Disabled Person's Tax Credit Quarterly Statistical Enquiries April 1998-April 2001.
	Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit figures are not available for the Buckingham constituency but are available for Aylesbury Vale district council.
	
		Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit caseload for Aylesbury Vale district council
		
			 Aylesbury Vale(55) Housing Benefit Council Tax Benefit 
		
		
			 May 1998 5,880 6,840 
			 May 1999 5,720 6,660 
			 May 2000 5,220 6,150 
			 May 2001 5,000 6,020 
		
	
	(55) Buckingham parliamentary constituency and Aylesbury parliamentary constituency are both covered in part by the Aylesbury Vale Local Authority area. Figures are not therefore representative of the constituency area.
	Notes:
	1. The data refer to households, which may be a single person or a couple.
	2. The figures have been rounded to the nearest 10 cases.
	Source:
	Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Management Information System quarterly 100 per cent. caseload stock-count taken each May from 1998 to 2001.

Benefits Agency

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many cases of vandalism were recorded in Benefits Agency offices in each year since 1997; and how many successful prosecutions were brought in respect of such cases;
	(2)  what was the approximate cost of vandalism in Benefits Agency offices in each year since 1997.

Nick Brown: holding answer 12 November 2001
	At the outset of the PRIME contract on 1 April 1998, all risk arising from vandalism and causing damage to accommodation, furniture and fittings in Benefits Agency premises transferred to Land Securities Trillium. Land Securities Trillium is responsible therefore for all costs associated with their repair or replacement. Land Securities Trillium do not maintain statistics on vandalism in Benefits Agency offices.
	Incidents such as criminal damage or vandalism, are referred to the police for investigation and possible prosecution.

Social Security (Modernisation Budget)

Archy Kirkwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on what items the budget for modernising the delivery of the social security system allocated in the 2000 Spending Review has been spent; and how the budget will be spent in 2001–02.

Nick Brown: The budget for modernising the delivery of the social security system, allocated in the 2000 Spending Review, was spent on the items listed. Spending will continue on these items in 2001.
	Payment Modernisation Programme
	New IT for the Child Support Agency
	New front end systems
	Replacement of legacy systems
	Improvement to management information
	PCs for all staff
	Modernising services to pensioners, including preparation for the pensioner credit
	DSS (now DWP) work on the integrated child credit, which now forms part of New Tax Credit.

Benefit Expenditure (Scotland)

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent request he has received from the Scottish Executive to transfer benefit expenditure to the Executive; and what consequential changes to benefit eligibility are implied by such requests.

Maria Eagle: holding answer 13 November 2001
	In September 2001, the Scottish Executive requested a transfer of resources from the Department in respect of their proposals on free personal care.
	My right hon. Friend decided not to agree to their proposal. No further request has been received from the Scottish Executive.

Pension Clawback

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what was (a) the total annual clawback of pensions arising from downgrading owing to hospitalisation and (b) the estimated total arising from each specific category of downgrading in each of the last five years.

Ian McCartney: holding answer 13 November 2001
	Information is unavailable prior to 1997–98.
	The estimated total arising from each specific category of downrating in each of the last five years is:
	
		£ million 
		
			 Year 6–52 weeks downrating Over 52 weeks downrating 
		
		
			 1997–98 23 36 
			 1998–99 25 34 
			 1999–2000 26 31 
			 2000–01 28 29 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures in 2000–01 prices
	2. Figures rounded to nearest £ million
	The rules for the adjustment of benefits for periods in hospital are applied to most social security benefits such as incapacity benefit as well as to retirement and widow's pension. These rules, which are laid down in law, have been applied with only minor modifications since the introduction of the national insurance scheme over 50 years ago. The rules are based on the view that while the national health service provides free maintenance as well as free treatment, maintenance benefits, also paid out of state funds, should not be paid in full indefinitely.

Departmental Name Change

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost has been to public funds of re-branding his Department to accommodate its name change following the last general election.

Nick Brown: The total cost of re-branding the Department to accommodate its name change following the last general election has been £232,044.

Pension Credit

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what measures he has taken to ensure that advice is available to benefit recipients on the interaction between housing/council tax benefit and the pension credit; and what is the anticipated cost of that advice;
	(2)  if he will make a statement on how entitlements to housing and council tax benefit will be affected by the pension credit;

Ian McCartney: The pension credit forms a key part of the Government's overall strategy for tackling pensioner poverty.
	We are completing the design of the pension credit and will publish details of our proposals, including the interaction of pension credit with housing benefit and council tax benefit, when the Bill is introduced. We are planning a more customer-focused service tailored to individual needs which will include information on the benefits to which pensioners may be entitled.

"Removing the Barriers"

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Sutton and Cheam of 6 November 2001, Official Report, columns 195–96W, on "Removing the Barriers", if he will specify improvements which have been introduced as a result of the report's recommendations.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 14 November 2001
	We consider carefully the findings of reports such as "Removing the Barriers". While the welfare reforms the Government have, and continue to make, have not been made as a specific result of concerns expressed in this particular report, they address many of the concerns raised.
	The report concluded that there was a need for a co-ordinated approach to the provision of welfare services and that central and local government needed to share common objectives. We are committed to working together with the Local Government Association and have already agreed a framework for the conduct of relations between central and local government. Among the many things the framework embraces is a commitment to reflect both local and national priorities and the views of local communities.
	The new pension service will also be based on working in close partnership with local authorities, particularly to encourage the take-up of benefits for older people. Officials met with the local government association on 24 October to discuss how these proposals can be taken forward.

Freedom of Information Act

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on what date his Department established a working group of officials to prepare his Department for the implementation of the Freedom of Information Act 2000; and on what dates this committee has met since it was set up.

Ian McCartney: A working group has been established within the Department for Work and Pensions to consider implementation of the Freedom of Information Act across the Department.
	The first meeting of the group was held on Wednesday 24 October 2001 and provided an overview of the provisions of the Act. Future meetings will consider more detailed implementation plans. The membership of the group includes representatives from the Corporate Centre, departmental agencies including Employment Services and associated non-departmental public bodies.

Pensioners (Wycombe)

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) men and (b) women in each ethnic group of pensionable age there (i) were in the Wycombe constituency and (ii) have been in each of the last four years.

Ian McCartney: The information requested is not collected centrally by this Department.

Personal Advisers

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if incapacity benefit claimants who make a claim at a Jobcentre Plus office are assigned a personal adviser immediately.

Nick Brown: People making a new or repeat claim to incapacity benefit through Jobcentre Plus will meet with a personal adviser at a work focused interview at the start of their claim. During this interview they will normally be given information about the New Deal for Disabled People (NDDP) and details of local job brokers. If they wish to take part in NDDP then further support will be provided by their chosen job broker.

Child Poverty

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many children were living in poverty in each of the last 15 years; and what estimate he has of the number of children that will be living in poverty in each of the next three years.

Malcolm Wicks: Child poverty is a complex multi-dimensional concept, affecting many aspects of children's lives—including their living standards, health, housing, the quality of the environment, and opportunities to learn. The third "Opportunity for all" report (Cm 5260) sets out the Government's strategy for tackling child poverty and presents the latest information on the indicators used to monitor progress against this strategy. The report also contains details of Public Service Agreement targets which set levels of progress to be achieved over specific timescales.

New Deal

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many young people aged under 25 years have been (a) killed and (b) injured while on new deal schemes in each of the last three years.

Nick Brown: Since April 1998 there has been one fatality and 230 injuries reported on the new deal for young people. These are broken down as follows for each of the last three years:
	
		
			 Year Injuries Fatality 
		
		
			 April 1998 to March 1999 21 1 
			 April 1999 to March 2000 130 — 
			 April 2000 to March 2001 79 — 
			  
			 Total 230 1

New Deal

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of persons classified as leaving the New Deal for Young Persons to unknown destinations who left for sustained jobs in each of the last three years.

Nick Brown: We estimate from surveys of this group that over 50 per cent. of those who have left the New Deal for Young People for unknown destinations moved into sustained jobs.

New Deal

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many people left the Environmental Taskforce option of the New Deal for Young People between July 1999 and October 2001 for (a) an unknown destination, (b) sustained unsubsidised employment, (c) jobs lasting less than 13 weeks, (d) other benefits and (e) another known destination;
	(2)  how many people left the voluntary sector option of the New Deal for Young People between July 1999 and October 2001 for (a) an unknown destination, (b) sustained unsubsidised employment, (c) jobs lasting less than 13 weeks, (d) other benefits and (e) another known destination.

Nick Brown: The available information is in the table. Figures for the numbers leaving for jobs lasting less than 13 weeks are not available as, by definition, all clients who enter a job and return to benefit within 13 weeks are not classed as having left New Deal.
	
		Numbers and destinations of leavers from the Environment Taskforce and Voluntary Sector options: July 1999—August 2001
		
			  Environment taskforce Voluntary sector 
		
		
			 Total leavers 33,960 34,920 
			 Unsubsidised job 10,650 11,480 
			 Other benefits 2,970 3,290 
			 Other known destination 10,140 10,410 
			 Unknown destination 10,200 9,740 
		
	
	Source:
	Employment Service New Deal Evaluation Database

New Deal

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the answer from the Minister for Work to the hon. Member for Vale of York (Miss McIntosh) of 12 November 2001, Official Report, column 865, if he will place in the Library the evidence referred to on the number of people who have found work as a result of the new deal for the under-25s.

Nick Brown: The report "The New Deal for Young People: Implications for Employment and the Public Finances" by Rebecca Riley and Garry Young, National Institute of Economic and Social Research (December 2000), is already in the Library.

New Deal

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many persons have left the New Deal for Young People for (a) employment and (b) sustained employment lasting more than 13 weeks in Government Departments; what proportion such persons represent of the total number of persons (i) leaving the New Deal for Young People and (ii) leaving the New Deal for Young People for employment; how many joined each Government Department in each year since the inception of the New Deal for Young People; and what this last number represents as a proportion of (A) total recruitment and (B) recruitment in the 18–25 age group by the Department in question;
	(2)  how many persons left the New Deal for the long-term unemployed for (a) employment and (b) sustained employment in Government Departments; and what proportion such persons represent of the total number of persons leaving the New Deal for the long-term unemployed in each year since its inception;
	(3)  how many persons left the New Deal for Disabled People for (a) employment and (b) sustained employment in Government Departments; what proportion such persons represent of the total number of persons (i) leaving the New Deal for Disabled People and (ii) leaving the New Deal for Disabled People in each year since its inception;
	(4)  how many persons have left the New Deal for Lone Parents for (a) employment and (b) sustained employment in Government Departments; what proportion such persons represent of the total number of persons (i) leaving the New Deal for Lone Parents and (ii) leaving the New Deal for Lone Parents for employment; how many joined each Government Department in each year since its inception;
	(5)  how many persons have left the New Deal for people aged 50 and above for (a) employment and (b) sustained employment in Government Departments; what proportion such persons represent of the total number of persons (i) leaving the New Deal for people aged 50+ and (ii) leaving the New Deal for people aged 50+ for employment in each year since the inception of the New Deal.

Nick Brown: At 1 July 2001, the total number of clients entering Government Departments from the New Deal for Young People and the long-term unemployed was 5,151, which equates to 1.4 per cent. of all people starting on these programmes. Employment in the civil service accounts for around 1.7 per cent. of the work force as a whole. Figures for the other new deals are not available.